Newscow
India and West Indies begin their five-match T20I series on October 6, 2026 at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The first T20I starts at 7:00 PM IST, with the toss at 6:30 PM. In India, Star Sports Network has TV coverage and JioHotstar has live streaming.
Hero: Ekana Cricket Stadium, AKASH SINGH. 654 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Archival venue photo, not the October 6 match.
1st T20I quick details
- Date: October 6, 2026
- Time: 7:00 PM IST; toss 6:30 PM
- Venue: Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
- TV: Star Sports Network
- Stream: JioHotstar
- Captains: Shreyas Iyer and Shai Hope
The Indian Express and Rajasthan Royals agree on the Lucknow opener, 7 PM start and India viewing options.
India squad
India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Naman Dhir.
The ICC confirmed Washington Sundar was withdrawn and Naman Dhir named as his replacement. The toss remains the authority for the final XI.
Full T20I schedule
- Oct 6: Lucknow — 7 PM
- Oct 9: Ranchi — 7 PM
- Oct 11: Indore — 7 PM
- Oct 14: Hyderabad — 7 PM
- Oct 17: Bengaluru — 7 PM
West Indies squad context
Current listings name Shai Hope as captain, with Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Shamar Joseph among the touring group. Availability can change close to a match, so this page will not present a predicted XI as confirmed.
Is the match free to stream?
JioHotstar is the confirmed digital destination, but the sources checked do not establish that every viewer can watch free without a plan or access condition. Check the live match page and your account rather than relying on an unverified “free stream” claim.
What changed after the ODI series?
India won the ODI series 2-1, but West Indies finished it with a record chase. Both teams were later fined for slow over-rates. Newscow's ICC fine explainer covers that separate development. The T20I squad is different from the ODI group and is led by Shreyas Iyer.
Quick answers
When? October 6 at 7 PM IST. Where? Lucknow. Watch? Star Sports on TV and JioHotstar online.
Checked October 5, 2026 at 23:36 IST. Update this same URL after an official squad, broadcast or toss change rather than creating a duplicate.