Dubai: The Indian team will open its campaign in next year's World Twenty20 Championships against arch-foes Pakistan when the event is staged in Bangladesh from March 16 to April 6. As many as 60 tournament matches (35 men's and 25 women's) will be played across Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet in the 22-day tournament. As in the past, the women's semifinals and final will be held on the same day as the men's semifinals and final, and at the same venue, the ICC said in a statement. The format for the men's event in next year's tournament has been changed following an increase in teams from 12 to 16.

As the teams' seeding are based on the T20I Team Rankings as on October 8, 2012, the top eight sides following the conclusion of last ICC World Twenty20 will play directly in the Super 10 stage and India is one such side. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, which finished outside the top eight, will participate in the first round that will be held from 16-21 March.

The first round of the men's event will include eight sides that will be divided into two groups of four teams each, with the table-toppers progressing to the Super 10 stage. In the first round, Group A will feature host Bangladesh alongside three teams that will qualify from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2013, to be staged from November 15 to 30.

Group B will include Zimbabwe, which will be joined by another three teams from the upcoming qualifiers. As such, the two groups will be finalised on November 30. The Super 10 stage will start with an evening match between former champions India and Pakistan in Dhaka on March 21. Defending champions West Indies will launch their title defence against India in an evening match on Sunday March 23. Earlier on the same day, Pakistan will lock horns with Australia, looking for the only global title that has eluded them to date.