Ireland produced a landmark result in Belfast on June 26, 2026, beating India by 34 runs in the first T20I of the series. After posting 182/9 in their 20 overs, Ireland bowled India out for 148 in 18.5 overs to secure their first win over India in international cricket after eight previous attempts.
The victory mattered well beyond the series opener: India arrived as the reigning men’s T20 World Cup champions, while Ireland were missing a handful of first-choice bowlers due to injury. Yet Ireland’s recovery with the bat and a wicket-taking effort led by debutants Jai Moondra and player of the match Matt Hollard flipped the contest.
Ireland recover from 51/4 to post 182/9
Ireland finished on 182/9 from 20 overs, anchored by captain Lorcan Tucker’s 50 off 36 balls and Gareth Delany’s 49 off 32. India’s bowlers made early inroads, with Harshit Rana returning 3/24 from four overs and Arshdeep Singh taking 2/28 from four.
Despite Ireland being 51 for 4 at one stage, Tucker’s innings helped stabilise the innings and set up a competitive total. Delany’s contribution kept the scoring rate moving, and Ireland ultimately pushed through to 182, giving their bowlers a target to defend against an Indian batting line-up known for big totals.
In the post-match presentation, Tucker described the effort as “pretty special,” highlighting that Ireland “scrapped through the game” and “stuck to it” through tough periods, while also calling it special to beat the world champions at home.
India’s chase starts quickly but wickets keep falling
India’s reply ended at 148 all out in 18.5 overs, well short of the 183 required. Abhishek Sharma led the resistance with 49 off 20 balls, and Shivam Dube added 25 off 14, but Ireland’s bowlers struck often enough to prevent a sustained chase.
Abhishek’s early scoring helped India reach 68 by the end of the powerplay despite losing three wickets, but Ireland continued to “peg India back with regular wickets,” as the match commentary noted. The key spells came from Hollard and Matthew Humphreys, while Moondra made an immediate impact on debut.
Hollard finished with 3/28 from four overs and was named Player of the Match. Humphreys took 3/38 from 3.5 overs and delivered the final blow as India were dismissed with seven balls remaining.
Late wickets seal it as Ireland make history
The closing stages underlined Ireland’s control as the required rate climbed. At the end of the 17th over, India were 138/8 and needed 45 from 18 balls. Delany then struck in the 17th over, removing Axar Patel for 15 off 16 when Axar was caught by Harry Tector at long-on.
Moondra’s 18th over included a moment of drama when, on the extra ball after a wide, Harry Tector dropped a chance at long-on that would have given Moondra a third wicket. Still, Moondra’s debut figures of 2/25 included the key dismissals of Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, keeping Ireland ahead in the chase.
Humphreys then closed the match in the 19th over (18.1 to 18.5). He removed Harshit Rana at 18.1, caught by Calitz at deep midwicket, before returning to finish the game at 18.5 when Arshdeep Singh holed out and was caught by Tim Tector. The final wicket sparked celebrations as Ireland completed a famous win in Belfast.
India captain Shreyas Iyer said India’s bowlers started well but lost execution later, and added that the team would take lessons from the defeat heading into the next match.
For Ireland, the standout names were Tucker’s captain’s innings, Delany’s near half-century, and the decisive bowling from Hollard, Humphreys and Moondra as Ireland sealed a historic result to open the series.