Ireland vs India Preview – T20 Internationals 2026 | Statz

26th June 2026

The world’s number one ranked T20I side arrives in Belfast as India take on Ireland at the Civil Service Cricket Club in the T20 Internationals. India sit top of the ICC T20I rankings with a rating of 275, while Ireland are 12th with a rating of 199. First ball is at 18:00 IST (13:30 BST) on Friday 26 June.

View the full match centre on Statz for live projections, lineups and betting angles.

The Venue

The Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast has hosted 8 completed T20s since July 2021, producing an average first innings score of 169.1 and a bat-first win rate of 63%. The average match total sits at 310.8 runs, making it a solid scoring ground. Pace bowlers have claimed 61.7% of wickets at an economy of 8.47, while spinners go at a more miserly 6.92 – something India’s spin-heavy attack will look to exploit. The pitch is tagged as a balanced surface. The most recent T20 at this ground saw Afghanistan post 189/5 before bowling Ireland out for 167/9 on 12 August 2022.

Form

Ireland come into this match ranked 12th in the ICC T20I rankings with a mixed bag of recent results. Their last five T20Is read NR, W, L, L, W:

Ireland can be dangerous on home soil – they smashed 235/5 against Oman in their last win – but the defeats to Australia and Sri Lanka exposed a fragile batting lineup when the pressure is on.

India are the top-ranked T20I side and arrive in scorching form. Four wins from five, with the only blemish a loss to South Africa:

Those numbers are staggering. India have posted 250+ three times in their last five T20Is, averaging 207.6 runs scored per match this season. This is a batting lineup operating at a different level.

Head-to-Head

These two sides have met 7 times in T20Is since 2018 (Statz data). India have dominated the fixture completely, winning all six completed matches with one no result. Ireland are yet to beat India in the shortest format.

All previous meetings took place at The Village in Dublin, so this will be the first T20I between these teams at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast. The last completed meeting came on 20 August 2023 when India posted 185/5 and restricted Ireland to 152/8 to win by 33 runs.

Statz Projections

The Statz projection model gives India a clear edge regardless of the toss.

If Ireland bat first: India are projected at a 63.5% win probability. The projected first innings total is 171.4 (P10: 144, P90: 198), sitting just above the ground average of 169.1. Projected match total: 333.6 (P10: 289, P90: 376).

If India bat first: India’s win probability rises to 66.2%. The projected first innings total is 174.3 (P10: 150, P90: 199), with a match total of 336.1 (P10: 296, P90: 376).

Both projected match totals sit comfortably above the venue average of 310.8, driven by India’s explosive batting lineup. Model confidence is at 0.97.

T20I Season Leaders

Orange Cap – Top 5 Run Scorers (T20I Season):

  1. Karanbir Singh – 331 runs (9 innings)
  2. Shimron Hetmyer – 318 runs (9 innings)
  3. Musaddiq Ahmed – 277 runs (5 innings)
  4. Hamid Shah – 271 runs (7 innings)
  5. Vasu Saini – 259 runs (7 innings)

Purple Cap – Top 5 Wicket Takers (T20I Season):

  1. Amjad Sher – 16 wickets (8 innings)
  2. Shahid Afridi – 15 wickets (9 innings)
  3. Shamar Joseph – 13 wickets (6 innings)
  4. Keshav Maharaj – 12 wickets (8 innings)
  5. Wanindu Hasaranga – 12 wickets (7 innings)

Ireland season leaders:

India season leaders:

Predicted XIs

Ireland (based on XI vs Oman, 14 Feb 2026):

  1. Ross Adair
  2. Tim Tector
  3. Harry Tector
  4. Lorcan Tucker (c)(wk)
  5. Curtis Campher
  6. George Dockrell
  7. Gareth Delany
  8. Mark Adair
  9. Barry McCarthy
  10. Matthew Humphreys
  11. Joshua Little

India (based on XI vs New Zealand, 08 Mar 2026):

  1. Sanju Samson (wk)
  2. Abhishek Sharma
  3. Ishan Kishan
  4. Suryakumar Yadav (c)
  5. Tilak Varma
  6. Hardik Pandya
  7. Shivam Dube
  8. Axar Patel
  9. Arshdeep Singh
  10. Varun Chakaravarthy
  11. Jasprit Bumrah

Note: Both XIs are based on prior season selections. Check the Statz match page for confirmed lineups after the toss.

Dream11 Tips – Captain and Vice Captain

Picks based on projected Dream11 points from players in the recent XI only:

Captain: Mark Adair – 90.0 projected Dream11 points. Ireland’s leading all-round threat with 1.4 projected wickets and handy lower-order runs at a strike rate of 127.1. His 100% hit rate for 1+ wickets this season makes him a reliable captaincy pick even in a lopsided fixture.

Vice Captain: Prasidh Krishna – 81.5 projected Dream11 points. The Indian seamer is projected for 1.63 wickets with an economy of 9.65, offering strong bowling returns against an Ireland batting order that can be brittle.

Also consider:

Key Players

Suryakumar Yadav (India) – India’s captain and batting linchpin has 242 runs this T20I season at an average of 48.4 with a highest score of 82. He boasts an 80% hit rate for scoring 20+ runs and 80% for 30+ runs in his last 5 T20I innings. With a projected strike rate of 152.4, SKY is the heartbeat of this Indian middle order and should relish the Belfast conditions.

Ishan Kishan (India) – The explosive left-hander has been in sensational form, racking up 215 runs at an average of 53.75 including a century (103 vs New Zealand). His 75% hit rate for 20+ runs and projected strike rate of 180.4 make him the most destructive batter in this fixture. Scores of 76, 28 and 103 in his last three outings tell the story.

Mark Adair (Ireland) – Ireland’s premier pace bowling all-rounder has a 100% hit rate for taking 1+ wickets this T20I season across all 5 matches. He is projected for 1.4 wickets per match and chips in with useful runs at a strike rate of 127.1. In a mismatch on paper, Adair is the player most likely to make India uncomfortable.

Matthew Humphreys (Ireland) – Ireland’s leading wicket-taker this season with 10 wickets from 5 matches at a best of 4. His left-arm spin has an 80% hit rate for 1+ wickets and 60% for 2+ wickets. With spin going at just 6.92 economy at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Humphreys could be Ireland’s trump card.

Conditions

Weather data is unavailable from Statz for this venue. Belfast in late June typically sees mild temperatures with the possibility of cloud cover. Check local forecasts closer to the toss for any rain risk.

Verdict and Betting Angles

This is a sizeable mismatch on paper. India are the number one ranked T20I side and arrive with four wins from five, including a 255/5 demolition of New Zealand and a 253/7 thriller against England. Ireland, ranked 12th, have beaten Oman and the UAE in recent T20Is but were put to the sword by Australia and Sri Lanka. The Statz model gives India around 65% win probability regardless of the toss, and the 12/1 with bet365 for Ireland reflects the gulf in quality.

Pick: India to win comfortably. At 4/125 on bet365 for India, there is little value in the outright market, but the player props offer better angles.

Bet builder angles (build your bet on Statz):