The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the full list of umpires and match referees for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which begins on February 7.
The opening match between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground will feature Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena and New Zealand umpire Wayne Knights as on-field officials.
Dharmasena, one of the most experienced officials in world cricket, has supervised 37 Men’s T20 World Cup matches, including the 2016 and 2022 finals. Knights, meanwhile, will make his T20 World Cup debut, marking his 50th T20I as an on-field umpire.
On the same day, Nitin Menon and Sam Nogajski will officiate the Group C clash between Scotland and the West Indies. Later, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker will oversee India’s opening match against the United States. Tucker, who holds the record for most matches officiated in Men’s T20 World Cups with 46, is set to reach the 50-match milestone during this edition. He will also supervise key fixtures, including England vs Nepal, India vs Namibia, and South Africa vs UAE.
Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth, who stood together in the 2024 final, will reunite for Australia vs Ireland on February 11. Illingworth will also officiate the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan clash on February 15, alongside Dharmasena.
The ICC has appointed 24 umpires and six match referees for the group stage, ensuring experienced oversight across the 20-team tournament. Appointments for the Super Eight and knockout stages will be announced later.
Match Referees: Dean Caosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson, Javagal Srinath.
Umpires: Roland Black, Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Wayne Knights, Donovan Koch, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, KNA Padmanabhan, Allahuddien Paleker, Ahsan Raza, Leslie Reifer, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Gazi Sohel, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Raveendra Wimalasiri, Asif Yaqoob.
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