Rohit Sharma has been announced as the brand ambassador of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which India and Sri Lanka will jointly host next year. ICC President Jay Shah made the announcement during the event unveiling event in Mumbai on Tuesday, November 25. Rohit won his first T20 World Cup in 2007 by leading India to its first title under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, and has since played in every edition of the tournament. In 2024, he won his first ICC trophy as captain by leading India to the T20 World Cup title with a thrilling win over South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
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After being appointed as the brand ambassador, Rohit said that he feels proud to become the first Indian cricketer to be appointed as the ICC brand ambassador. Rohit said good evening everyone. I want to thank ICC and Jay Shah from the bottom of my heart. It is a huge honor to be an ambassador for an ICC event. I have just been told that no active player has been announced as an ICC ambassador yet, so it is a huge honor for me. I am very grateful, very grateful.
Program also announced
The International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced the schedule of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The tournament will begin on February 7 and the final will be played on March 8. India has been placed in the group with Pakistan, America, Namibia and Netherlands. India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo on February 15 and this will be the first clash between the two after three matches in the Asia Cup.
The defending champions will begin their campaign against USA in Mumbai on February 7, followed by taking on Namibia in Delhi on February 12. This exciting match between India and Pakistan will take place in Colombo on 15th February, after which the Suryakumar Yadav-led team will complete their league stage against Netherlands in Ahmedabad on 18th February. According to the group announced by ICC, India, Pakistan, Namibia, America and Netherlands are in the same group. Bangladesh, Italy, England, Nepal and West Indies are in the same group. Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are in the second group. The final group includes Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and UAE.
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The tournament will be held across five venues in India – Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Three venues in Sri Lanka will host the global event, including the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Sinhalese Sports Club and the Pallake Stadium in Kandy. The World Cup will see 20 teams compete for the coveted trophy, divided into four groups of five teams each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eights, followed by semi-finals and a final.