When is India vs Pakistan in the T20 cricket World Cup? Everything you need to know

Nearly a decade has passed since India and Pakistan last played each other in a bilateral cricket series, so major tournaments provide a rare chance for us to witness one of the world’s great sports rivalries. As the world gears up for a T20 World Cup in Australia, the game everyone has their eyes on is India vs Pakistan.

On October 23, India and Pakistan will face off once again in the World Cup T20 2022, in front of a 90,000-strong full house at the MCG – one of the most iconic, and the second largest, cricket ground in the world. Naturally, tickets have been sold out for some time. 

We’ve been treated to a few India vs Pakistan contests in the last couple of years, but none quite like this - this will be the first match of the tournament for both sides, with both desperate to get off to a winning start. 

What time is India vs Pakistan in the T20 cricket World Cup?

India vs Pakistan starts on Sunday October 23 at 7pm AEST, 9am BST, 1pm PKT, 1:30pm IST, 8pm NZST, 4am ET, 1am PT. Scroll down to see how you can watch it on a live stream from anywhere.

Who won the last time India played Pakistan?

India and Pakistan have played relatively recently at the Asia Cup 2022 – twice in fact. Both games came right down to the wire, with India taking the first by five wickets, and Pakistan taking the second by a similar margin, but with just one ball left in the innings. 

Meanwhile, India and Pakistan’s last T20 World Cup game in 2021 was a famous occasion, as it was the first time the teams had played each other for nearly a decade. Pakistan came out on top on that occasion with a famous ten wicket victory - big-hitting pair Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan knocked over India with an unbeaten stand of 152, and Shaheen Shah Afridi announced himself as one of cricket’s supreme pace bowlers, rattling through India’s feted top order with three for 31.

India vs Pakistan at T20 World Cup 2022: who will win?

Both sides are coming into the World Cup on good runs of recent form, and will have reasons to feel optimistic about the tournament. After a disappointing (though entertaining) home series loss to England, Pakistan have rallied a little to win a tri-series tournament against New Zealand and Bangladesh. Crucially, the much-criticised Pakistan middle order found a bit of fluency in the final - Mohammad Nawaz, Haider Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed all crashed some quick runs to keep Pakistan on course. 

Shaheen Shah Afridi will be back in the side for the World Cup too, which significantly boosts Pakistan’s bowling attack. Questions remain about the consistency of the batting, though, especially against the best bowling line ups in the world. 

Aside from a recent loss to South Africa, India have bounced back from a disappointing Asia Cup and now look in ominous form. Alongside England, they boast the strongest batting line-up in the tournament, and lots of their big names have hit form at the perfect time - Virat Kohli looks close to his imperious best, as does KL Rahul, and in Suryakumar Yadav they have arguably the game’s most destructive T20 batsman.

Jasprit Bumrah is a big loss, but India’s IPL experience means they’re still well-equipped with versatile, dangerous bowlers. The big question at the moment is, who will replace Jasprit Bumrah? Will Mohammed Shami return from the wilderness to slot back into India’s pace lineup? Time will tell, but regardless, India are a team that no-one wants to face right now, and they will walk onto the pitch at the MCG with bags of confidence. 

The bookies currently have India favoured ahead of Pakistan to win the tournament, and India come into the game on a better run of form too. As ever, though, T20 games can be a complete toss-up - both teams have players who can turn the course of a match on their own. 

Where can I watch India vs Pakistan in the T20 cricket  World Cup for free?

If you live in Pakistan, or indeed, outside of Pakistan and don't mind the commentary being in Urdu, a number of games are free to watch on state broadcaster PTV Sports. Needless to say, that includes their matchup with India. 

How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in the UK

Sky Sports will have all the World Cup T20i action for UK viewers, via satellite, Sky Go, Sky Glass or the floating voter's favourite: Sky Now. There, a Sports pass will set you back just £25 per month for 6 months, with free Boost for the first month, so you can watch in full HD, as opposed to slightly crappy semi-HD. That will then cost an extra £5 per month if you want to continue with it, alas.

There is one other option which is to buy a 1-day pass to Sky Sports for £11.99 – but that does not strike us as great VFM, compared to the monthly deal above.

How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in India – or in Hindi, from abroad

In India, who start against arch rivals Pakistan on October 23, the T20 World Cup will be on Star Sports. That means it's also watchable via Disney+ Hotstar streaming, including the Hotstar mobile app. There's no free offer on this one, alas, but prices start at just Rs 499. India fans wanting to watch from overseas will need a VPN – scroll on for more on that.

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How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in Pakistan – for free!

Head straight to PTV Sports TV or its online sibling PTV Sports Live. Part of Pakistan's state broadcasting network, PTV Sports has the rights to the World Cup, and as a state-run entity, it's showing it for free. I wouldn't say it's the most sophisticated streaming website I've ever come across, but it works, and it's free, so you can't really grumble.

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How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in Australia – including free trial options

Apparently, every single match of the T20 World Cup is on Fox Cricket and the Foxtel streaming service. To watch for free, however, you could to sign up for the excellent Kayo Sports streaming service. This comes with a FREE 14-day trial, after which it's from $27.50 per month, which is pretty reasonable.

All Australia's World Cup matches, plus the semis, the final and 'selected other matches' will also be free on Channel 9HD, 9GemHD and 9Now streaming. 

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How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in New Zealand

Kiwis can watch the World Cup on Sky Sport, via Sky Go, Sky Now or cable. A Sky Sport Now sub is currently $19.99 per week or $39.99 per month. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

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How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in the USA

Rather amazingly, there is a streaming service in the USA and Canada that's specifically for cricket! It's called Willow TV and is available via various cable providers. If you prefer to stream, you can use cable cutters' fave, Sling TV and add Willow TV for $5 per month. If you're new to Sling or, indeed, have never even heard of it, you can get SlingTV with a 50% discount.

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In the USA, the World Cup cricket is also streaming on ESPN. This channel usually offers the choice of commentary in Hindi or English among its streaming options, too. You can watch live with a suitable cable subscription or on streaming service ESPN Plus. Monthly plans cost $6.99 a month, while the cost-saving annual subscription is $69.99 per year.

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How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket if you're abroad

If you're out of the country on holiday or business, you can still get access to a live stream - simply use the best VPN around to get past those geo-restrictions. A streaming VPN is a very handy thing, as it means you can hop on a server within the US, UK or anywhere else  and it will switch your IP address to make it appear as if you're browsing right from the comfort of your own home.

ExpressVPN is our top choice when it comes to pretending you are in a different country, and all the other useful stuff you can do with VPNs. It's got a robust set of security features and there's the option of buying it on a 3-month free trial, with a 30-day money-back guarantee,when you sign up for a year. This works out at just £6.19 per month, and you can use ExpressVPN across your laptop, phone, PlayStation, Xbox and more. 

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• VPN - standing for virtual private network - offers security and anonymity as you browse online, using set protocols to encrypt your data and make it unreadable to outsiders.
• As a part of that, you can also switch your IP address, which identifies your location.
• Most VPNs offer a list of locations where its servers are based to join. Connecting to them switches your IP to appear as if you're browsing from that country/city. In turn, you can then access content locked to that country.
• When it comes to finding a VPN, you should make sure you find the best one that's suitable for your chosen device, with VPN providers offering compatibility for a ton of devices, including VPN for Mac, and even a range of fairly nifty free VPNs.
• Once you've made the decision for the most suitable VPN for your device and your means for using a VPN, sign-up and install it. 
• To live stream Wimbledon 2022, all you need to do is select a UK server from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over those geo-restrictions, with the likes of BBC iPlayer opening its online gates to you.
• We also want to ensure your money is well spent, so we would recommend going for a VPN that offers a risk free trial. ExpressVPN is one of many providers that has a 30-day money back guarantee.

• New to VPN? Find out how to use a VPN to unblock geo-restrictions