The T20 World Cup got underway in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with former runners-up Pakistan facing the Netherlands in the opening match of the tournament. Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first in the World Cup opener.

A total of 20 teams are participating in this edition of the T20 World Cup, divided into four groups. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is staging the tournament without Bangladesh, who declined to play in India citing security concerns.

With Bangladesh not taking part, there has been little excitement around the T20 World Cup among Bangladeshi fans.

Instead, Bangladesh are currently playing the three-match “Odommo Bangladesh T20 Cup” in Mirpur. Despite featuring only three teams, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a prize money of BDT 25 million for the tournament.

In the World Cup format, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage. The eight teams will then be split into two groups, with the top two sides from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The tournament will conclude with two semi-finals followed by the final.