India will take on England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede stadium. (AP)

NEW DELHI: The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 has smashed viewership records in India, with more than 500 million fans tuning in — the highest ever for any T20 World Cup in history. ICC chairman Jay Shah celebrated the milestone, calling it a moment of pride for the global game.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

In a post on X, Shah revealed that the tournament was conceptualised with the ambition of making it the most “global” and “accessible” cricket event ever. That vision, he said, is already bearing fruit.

“The journey of the @ICC #T20WorldCup 2026 began with the ambition to make it the most #global & #accessible Cricket event ever. I am humbled that viewership for the event in India has crossed 500 million, the highest ever for any T20 World Cup in history. It was also heartening to see concurrent viewers @JioHotstar hit a peak of 60.5 million. With Knock-out matches for the tournament starting tonight, we hope that the immeasurable love our events receive from Indian fans helps break more records,” Shah wrote.The digital numbers were equally staggering, with concurrent viewership on JioHotstar peaking at 60.5 million — underlining the tournament’s massive online engagement.The World Cup now moves into its high-voltage knockout phase. The first semifinal will be held at Eden Gardens, where Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand take on an unbeaten South Africa under Aiden Markram. The Proteas, the only side yet to lose a match, will aim to extend their dominant run and book a second successive T20 World Cup final berth.India face England in the second semi-final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. India enter the clash after a commanding win over West Indies in a must-win Super 8 fixture, while Harry Brook’s England arrive on a five-match winning streak.