T20 World Cup India Biggest Losses: While India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, would have hoped for the perfect start to their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s campaign, they ended up setting an unwanted record. Batting first, South Africa posted a daunting 188-run target on the board at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India’s star to the chase was plagued by yet another duck, this time from Ishan Kishan rather than Abhishek Sharma, which triggered a batting collapse, holding them back from ever stepping into the game.
What resulted was a record-breaking loss for them in tournament history. With that said, here is a look at India’s top 3 heaviest losses by runs in ICC T20 World Cups.
India’s Biggest T20 World Cup Losses
3) India vs New Zealand – Loss By 47 Runs
Back in 2016, when the T20 World Cup was also being held in India, New Zealand and India faced off in a low-scoring thriller.
Batting first at the VCA Stadium, the Kiwis were able to post just a 127-run target for the Men in Blue. Simple enough on paper, but the Indian team made a meal of the chase, getting bowled out for just 79 runs.
2) India vs Australia – Loss By 49 Runs
India vs Australia matches have often churned out memorable moments. This T20 World Cup clash from 2010 also entered the record books, but for the wrong reasons as India would register their second biggest loss in tournament history.
Batting first, the Aussies posted 184 runs on the board, a very competitive total, which they failed to chase, getting bowled out for just 135 runs. Rohit Sharma struck 79 off 46 deliveries, but didn’t get any support from the rest of the batting lineup.
1) India vs South Africa – Loss By 76 Runs
The latest loss in this list, and now also India’s second-biggest loss by runs in men’s T20I cricket.
South Africa posted 187 runs on the board despite losing early wickets. David Miller and Dewald Brevis carried the middle overs while Tristan Stubbs provided the finish.
India, on the other hand, never got going. The Proteas bowled slow on an already slow-ish surface, which made scoring difficult. Wickets tumbled under pressure, and the side bundled for just 111 runs.
