As the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 draws near at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the excitement in Kolkata remains unparalleled. While the forecast for Wednesday remains largely clear, the high stakes of a South Africa-New Zealand game have fans and officials closely eyeing the ICC’s contingency manual.
In a tournament that has already seen its fair share of rain-affected matches, here is the roadmap if the clouds open up over Kolkata.
The 10-over minimum and extra time
Unlike the group stages and Super 8s, where only five overs per side were required to constitute a match, the knockout stage demands more. To declare a result in the semi-finals, a minimum of 10 overs per team must be bowled.
To ensure this happens on the scheduled day (March 4), match officials have an additional 90 minutes of extra time. If the rain is persistent but brief, expect a shortened, high-intensity sprint rather than a 20-over marathon.
The reserve day safety net
If a result cannot be achieved on Wednesday, either because the match never started or was interrupted mid-way, the game will move to the official Reserve Day: Thursday, March 5.
The rules for the reserve day are specific:
The match will resume from the exact point where it was halted on Wednesday. It is not be a ‘restart’; the scores, wickets and overs remain as they were.
The reserve day features an earlier start time (3:00 PM IST) and a massive 120 minutes of extra time to maximize the chances of finishing the game.
Who advances in case of a no result?
In the catastrophic event that persistent rain washes out both the scheduled day and the reserve day, the rulebook shifts from the pitch to the points table. There are no Super Overs or boundary counts for an abandoned game.
Instead, the team that finished higher in the Super 8 standings will automatically advance to the final. This is a massive advantage for South Africa, who topped their Super 8 group with a perfect record (6 points). New Zealand, having qualified with 3 points, would be eliminated even if not a ball single ball is bowled in the two days.
What does the Kolkata weather forecast say?
As far as the Kolkata weather forecast is concerned, there are little to no chances of rain, and a full, uninterrupted game looks likely, which is exactly what both teams would want in the knockout stage. It will remain sunny during the day and the temperatures will be in the range of the mid-20 degrees Celsius in the evening.