Rain and thunderstorms are predicted for the 1st T20I match between India and Ireland in Belfast on Friday, which may see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi making his international debut.
Published: June 25, 2026, 10:55 AM IST
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s possible India debut maybe affected by rain. (Photos: IANS, X)
India vs Ireland 2026 1st T20: T20 World Cup champions Team India are set to begin a two-match T20I series against Ireland in Belfast on Friday under a new captain – Shreyas Iyer. But there is more interest around the impending debut of 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the series. Sooryavanshi is set to become the youngest-ever Indian debutant breaking the record of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, which was set back in 1989.
There is tremendous amount of interest ahead of the T20 series vs Ireland, before Indians head to England for a five-match series there. But one of the biggest cause of concern for the Sooryavanshi and Team India, some of whom are planning to come from different parts of Europe, could be the weather in Belfast on Friday.
In news which will come as bad news for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s fans, there is more than 84 per cent possibility of rain in the Irish city on Friday when the first T20I match takes place, according to the MET department. The first T20I between India and Ireland is definitely going to be hit by rain.
The temperature is expected to be pleasant with a high of around 24 degrees Celsius but there will 71 per cent cloud cover on Friday. The MET department is predicting around 2.8mm of rain on Friday as well.
In addition to this, there is around 24 per cent possibility of thunderstorms in Belfast as well. At least a couple of hours of rain on Friday has been predicted which might delay the toss or even the match.
Check Belfast weather for India vs Ireland 2026 1st T20 HERE…
Belfast weather prediction for Friday.
The humidity will be pretty high even during morning when the game gets underway at around 89 per cent with dew point of around 19 degrees Celsius. Even before the toss, which is scheduled at 6pm IST, there is about 60 per cent possibility of rain.
Fans from Paris coming over to watch Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Former Ireland cricketer MV Narasimha Rao has revealed that fans from as far as Paris are coming over watch Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut at the 7000-capacity ground in Stormont. “I think they (local organisers) will have to put more seats because this stadium (Stormont ground) has only 7000 seats or something. Already, people from other parts of Europe like Paris etc want to come, hopefully, we can find a way to accommodate them,” Rao was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.
“So, I think it will be history, a momentous day if he makes his debut in Ireland. It was unexpected, and in the last 10 days, it’s really a big excitement here,” he added.
Sooryavanshi became the youngest-ever cricketer to win Orange Cap in Indian Premier League at 15 years of age after scoring 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. He is coming into the Ireland T20I series after scoring 94 in 29 balls for India ‘A’ against Sri Lanka ‘A’ which included a world-record breaking 50 in 11 balls.
