The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the match officials for the knockout stage of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Now the tournament has entered the semi-final stage, and the elite panel of top referees and umpires will monitor the important matches to ensure fairness and order of the game.

The first semi-final will take place between South Africa and New Zealand at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, March 4. According to the ICC, Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharfe have been appointed as the on-field umpires for this match. Illingworth has the experience of a previous T20 World Cup semi-final match against South Africa, while Wharfe faced the same opposition Afghanistan in New Zealand’s group-stage clash.

These umpires will be supported by Nitin Menon as the third umpire, Rod Tucker as the fourth umpire and Javagal Srinath as the match referee. The combination of experience of these officials and exposure to recent tournaments is expected to produce great decisions in this important encounter.

The second semi-final will be played between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. Chris Gaffney and Allahuddin Palkar have been appointed as on-field umpires for this match. Gaffney officiated in the semi-final match of the 2024 T20 World Cup between India and England, while Palkar has played an active role in England’s matches and India’s win against the Netherlands in this tournament.

These umpires will be supported by Adrian Holdstock as the third umpire, Paul Reiffel as the fourth umpire and Andy Pycroft as the match referee. With experienced officials, the ICC aims to ensure that consistent adjudication and sporting fairness is maintained in the semi-final matches.

India will be looking to defend their T20 World Cup title this time, and will be looking to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy for the third time.

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