T20 World Cup 2026: Match 29, ENG vs ITA Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match between England vs Italy?

England (ENG) square off against Italy (ITA) in match No. 29 of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, February 16.

Harry Brook-led England have not hit their straps as yet. They defeated Nepal by just four runs before slumping to a 30-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies. On Saturday, they won an important game against Scotland to keep their hopes of making the Super-Eight stage alive.

Italy will be stepping onto the field after creating history in their last game against Nepal. They defeated Rohit Paudel's men by 10 wickets to win their first-ever match in the T20 World Cup. Their 73-run loss to Scotland is a thing of the past now as Harry Manenti and Co. would look to script a monumental upset and stay in contention for the playoffs.

ENG vs ITA Match Details

Eden Gardens, Kolkata Pitch Report

The Eden Gardens in Kolkata has hosted three matches so far in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The average first-innings score is around 181. Two games have been won by teams batting first. The boundaries are not too big, and the outfield is lightning-fast. Batters are expected to enjoy themselves, getting value for their shots.

ENG vs ITA Head to Head Record in T20s

England and Italy have an iconic rivalry in football. However, they are going to square off for the first time in the game of cricket. Therefore, the head-to-head stands at 0-0.

ENG vs ITA Predicted Playing XIs

England (ENG):

Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (C), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.

Italy (ITA):

Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, JJ Smuts, Harry Manenti (C), Ben Manenti, Marcus Campopiano, Grant Stewart, Gian Meade (WK), Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Ali Hasan.

ENG vs ITA Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Jacob Bethell

Jacob Bethell has scored important runs for England in all three matches. The southpaw has aggregated 120 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 139.54. He will enjoy batting on the Eden Gardens surface, where the bounce can be trusted, and the ball doesn't really hold on to the pitch, unlike some other venues in the tournament.

Probable Best Bowler: Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer was too hot to handle for the top-order batters of Scotland. He will be more than a handful for the Italian batters, who are not used to facing pacers who consistently bowl at around 145 kph. Archer will look to provide wickets with the new ball.

Today's Match Prediction: England to win the match