Bengaluru waited two years for international cricket, and rain stole the show. The fifth T20I against West Indies was squeezed into nine overs a side after a three-hour delay. India raced to 118/5 in 7.4 overs — then the skies opened again. At 10:16 PM the umpires gave up, the decider was abandoned, and the series finished 2-2.
Updated: October 18, 2026, 10:35 AM IST
Quick Read
- The 5th T20I at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was cut to 9 overs per side after rain pushed the toss from 6:30 PM to 9 PM.
- India smashed 118/5 in 7.4 overs — Ishan Kishan 30 off 10 balls, Naman Dhir 24 not out off 6 — before rain returned for good.
- The series ended 2-2, denying West Indies their first bilateral series win in India since 2002.
The night rain won
It never really looked like a full game. The morning forecast had briefly offered hope — the chance of rain reportedly dropped from 70% to 30% — but by evening, persistent drizzle had settled over the Chinnaswamy. Ground staff couldn’t get the venue ready, and the scheduled 6:30 PM toss kept sliding.
The rain finally eased around 8:30 PM. The toss happened at 9, West Indies chose to bowl, and the match was chopped to nine overs a side with play starting at 9:15 PM. The crowd — which had sat through hours of waiting — at least got cricket. Just not enough of it.
Drizzle crept back midway through India’s innings. After Shamar Springer bowled Tilak Varma in the eighth over, it turned heavier, the covers came on, and that was that. Abandoned at 10:16 PM.
Seven overs of beautiful madness
What happened in between was worth the wait. Ishan Kishan went after everything from ball one: 30 off 10 balls, with three fours and two sixes. Naman Dhir, at the other end, was even more brutal — 24 not out off just 6 balls, including three sixes. Together they powered India to its fastest-ever T20I team fifty, off just 2.5 overs.
Stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer made a scratchy 22. Keemo Paul took 2 for 34, and Springer finished Tilak’s innings before the rain did. At 118/5 in 7.4 overs, India was flying — roughly 15 an over — when the weather intervened.
Also read: IND vs WI 5th T20I playing XI: Bhuvi in for Arshdeep
The maths that killed the chase
Here’s why there was no result. Once India couldn’t finish its nine overs, the umpires looked at what West Indies could fairly chase. The revised target would have been around 84 in 5 overs — the minimum for a valid T20I. But there wasn’t enough time left before the 10:21 PM cut-off to squeeze in even that. So the players shook hands, and the series ended without a winner.
For West Indies, it stings. They had come to India and gone toe-to-toe for three weeks across ODIs and T20Is, and a win here would have given them their first bilateral series victory on Indian soil since 2002. That wait continues.
Also read: IND vs WI 5th T20I: Bengaluru decider, 80% rain threat
What the 2-2 draw actually means
Two streaks survived the night. India remain unbeaten in a home T20I series since 2019 — this is a shared trophy, not a lost one. And West Indies leave India with something real: proof they can compete in these conditions, plus a captain in Shai Hope who earned genuine praise.
“There could have been a different scoreline in the series if we had bowled well in the second and the fourth game. Our batting has been sensational, but in the execution we fell short,” Shreyas Iyer said after the game, per the Indian Express. “Credit where due, West Indies batted phenomenally well. Kudos to Shai Hope, he was superb.”
For India, the timing of the washout is awkward. The team now flies straight into a long tour of New Zealand — five ODIs and two Tests — and Iyer admitted as much: “It will be a challenging series in New Zealand now,” he said, per the Indian Express. No momentum from a decider win, just questions about consistency: brilliant batting, leaky bowling in the second and fourth games.
The night’s other story was a quiet one. Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to India’s T20I XI after 1,425 days — and never got to bowl a ball. Cricket can be cruel like that.
Also read: IND vs WI 4th T20I: Hope’s century seals thriller
FAQs
Why was the 5th T20I reduced to 9 overs?
Rain delayed the toss by over two hours at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. When play finally became possible at 9:15 PM, the match was shortened to 9 overs per side so it could finish before the cut-off time.
What was the revised target for West Indies?
Around 84 in 5 overs — the minimum length for a valid T20I result. But rain returned during India’s innings, and there wasn’t enough time left before the 10:21 PM cut-off, so the match was abandoned.
When did West Indies last win a series in India?
2002. The washout denied them their first bilateral series victory on Indian soil in 24 years. India, meanwhile, stay unbeaten in home T20I series since 2019.
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