India vs Ireland 1st T20I match at the Stormont cricket ground in Belfast could be washed out by rain and thunderstorms on Friday, which will be a major disappointment for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fans.
Updated: June 26, 2026, 12:56 PM IST
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international debut can be washed out due to rain in Belfast. (Source: X)
IND vs IRE 2026 1st T20: Cricket Ireland were forced to shift the high-profile two-match T20I series vs reigning T20 World Cup champions India to Belfast compared the larger capacity Malahide Cricket Stadium in Dublin due to a concert taking place at the venue. But now rain and wet weather can derail their plans of hosting Team India and more important the 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international debut at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday.
There is a major threat of rain and thunderstorms in Belfast for the first T20I match between Team India and Ireland at the Civil Service Cricket Club ground on Friday. The game is as it is being started one hour early – at 6pm IST – to avoid a clash with ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 matches going on in the United Kingdom.
According to predictions of the MET department, there is a 88 per cent possibility of rain in Belfast on Friday. There will be 91 per cent cloud cover on match day as well which are expected to make the conditions lively and pace-bowler friendly.
The MET department are also predicting at least 35 per cent possibility of thunderstorms on Friday, which could delay the toss, scheduled to take place at 1230pm IST. At least four hours of rain are being predicted for Friday, which could wash out the entire T20I game and with it possibly Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking debut match.
Check Belfast weather for India vs Ireland 1st T20 HERE…
Belfast weather prediction for Friday.
The maximum temperature on Friday is expected to be around 24 degrees with 5.1mm of rain and wet weather also being predicted. The humidity level is also going to be high at around 80 per cent which will make rain even more likely on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Stormont cricket ground only has capacity of 5,000 people but almost 3 times that number have expressed wish to watch this contest which will be Shreyas Iyer’s debut Indian T20I skipper.
“My phone is buzzing all the time with people looking for tickets. Unfortunately, we can host only 4,500-5000 fans. We could have filled it three times over if we had the room for it. Tickets were sold in minutes and even now people are looking for tickets,” Cricket Ireland chairman Brian MacNeice was quoted as saying by Indian Express newspaper.
The pitch at Belfast is likely to be much slower according to Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker as compared to tracks in the IPL 2026 season. The ground is also much bigger as compared to Indian venues which will make six-hitting a tough task.
