ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 schedule announced

·58 men’s and women’s matches to be played at eight venues from 8 March to 3 April; Mumbai and New Delhi to stage semi-finals while Kolkata to stage finals

·Zimbabwe to face Hong Kong in tournament opener in Nagpur; Sri Lanka to launch title defence in Kolkata on 17 March; India-Pakistan to go head to head in Dharamsala on 19 March

·ICC Chairman Mr Shashank Manohar: “India is a country where cricket is a religion and not many places can match the passion for the game like India”

·ICC Chief Executive Mr David Richardson: “The ICC World Twenty20 is an event which puts the world’s best cricketers in the shortest format of the game against each other in a nation versus nation contest”

·BCCI Secretary Mr Anurag Thakur: “We, as hosts, are fully prepared to organise one of the most entertaining spectacles in world cricket”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced the groups and schedule of the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, which will be staged across eight venues in India from 8 March to 3 April.

A total of 58 tournament matches, including 35 men’s matches and 23 women’s matches, will be played in the 27-day tournament in Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi. New Delhi and Mumbai will host the semi-finals on 30 and 31 March, respectively, while Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be the venue of the 3 April finals. The women’s semi-finals and final will be followed by the men’s knock-out matches. There is a reserve day for the finals.

 Men’s

First round (group winners to progress to second round)

Group A – Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland and Oman

Group B – Zimbabwe, Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan

Women’s

Group A – Australia (A1), South Africa (A2), New Zealand (A3), Sri Lanka (A4) and Ireland (A5)

Group B – England (B1), West Indies (B2), India (B3), Pakistan (B4) and Bangladesh (B5)

India men’s team fixtures

India v New Zealand in Nagpur – March 15

India v Pakistan in Dharamsala – March 19 

India v Qualifier in Bengaluru – March 23 

India v Australia in Mohali – March 27 .

India women's team fixtures

India v Bangladesh in Bengaluru - March 15

India v Pakistan in New Delhi - March 19

India v England in Dharamsala - March 22

India v West Indies in Mohali - March 27