Experienced duo Richard Kettleborough and Chris Gaffaney will be the on-field umpires for the World T20 World Cup Super 8 opener against South Africa in Ahmedabad, India on Sunday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Friday.
The marquee clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium will see Kettleborough and Gaffaney assisted by TV umpire Alex Wharf and fourth umpire Chris Brown as India open their Super 8 campaign against the Proteas.
The Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup will begin with a Group 2 match in Colombo on Saturday between Pakistan and New Zealand. In its official statement, the ICC said: “Rodney Tucker and Paul Reiffel will be in the middle of the Super Eights opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” adding Allahudien Paleker as the TV umpire, while Sam Nogajski will play the role of the fourth umpire.
“Tucker and Nogajski will be the on-field team on February 2 when Sri Lanka take on Pakistan in Kandy, while Nogajski will also oversee England’s match against Pakistan at the same venue on February 24 alongside Nitin Menon,” the statement added, referring to Nitin Menon.
Adrian Holdstock will be the on-field referee alongside Ahsan Raza for England’s clashes with co-hosts in Kandy on Sunday and against New Zealand on February 27.
“Paleker and Asif Yaqoob will be at the center of Sri Lanka’s encounter with New Zealand in Colombo on February 25,” the ICC said, referring to Asif Yaqoob as part of the management panel for the match.
Gaffaney and Wharf will referee the Super 8 final between India and West Indies in Kolkata on March 1, while Wharf and Kettleborough will be the on-field pairing for the co-hosts’ clash with Zimbabwe on February 26.
Richard Illingworth and Jayaraman Madanagopal will oversee the match between Zimbabwe and West Indies on February 23 in Mumbai.
“Shahid Saikat and Kumar Dharmasena are the on-field team for West Indies’ match against South Africa on February 26, with Dharmasena back in place alongside Illingworth when the Proteas take on Zimbabwe on March 1,” added the statement, confirming further appointments at various venues.
The ICC also confirmed that Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath will continue to serve as match referees during the Super 8 phase, providing experienced oversight as the tournament enters a crucial phase.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 20, 2026