With just a week before the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup kicks off, there is a lot of buzz around the tournament due to the massive popularity of the shortest format.
The men’s T20 World Cup is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and is scheduled to be held from February 7 to March 8, 2026.
Defending champions India will be playing in home conditions, though in the T20 format that’s not much of an advantage, as players from outside the Subcontinent are well familiar with the pitches due to their exposure to them while playing in the various domestic T20 leagues here.
Here, we look at the key contenders for the title this time around and present some other early predictions.
Contenders for the title
India
Having won the 2024 edition, India are favourites again. Due to the enduring success of the Indian Premier League, the country has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to fielding a first XI.
Even though the three modern stalwarts of Indian cricket — Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja — are no longer part of this Indian side, there are talented youngsters in Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill who have taken up the responsibility in the shorter format. Going into the tournament, Team India’s major advantage lies in their spin department, with Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav offering both variety and wicket-taking ability in the middle overs.
Overall, India has a good balance of batters and bowlers. Captained by one of the best T20 batters in the world, Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue are all set to rule another ICC tournament yet again.
England
England is yet another team that could win the tournament – if they can find their best combination.
With the likes of Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, and Liam Livingstone, they have some of the most lethal T20 batters in their line-up. They also have express pace in their ranks through Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Brydon Carse, who can knock wickets off early on.
The English also boast decent all-rounders, offering that much-needed balance in the shortest limited-overs format.
However, playing in the Subcontinent, barring Adil Rashid, England lack experienced spin bowling options. That said, on paper the 2022 T20 world champions remain capable of going all the way due to their explosive batting unit.
South Africa
Runners-up at the previous T20 World Cup, the Proteas have grown leaps and bounds when it comes to performing in ICC tournaments. The reigning World Test Championship (WTC) winners will go into this tournament with a lot of confidence, having broken the jinx of not winning an ICC trophy in a long time.
Their T20 squad possesses great batting and bowling talent. Aidan Markram, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, and Corbin Bosch are all superb T20 players boasting high strike rates, while the return of Quinton de Kock to the national setup has further added experience and fiery batting at the top of the line-up.
As for their bowlers, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Nandre Burger, and Marco Jansen are South Africa’s chief wicket-taking pacers, while Keshav Maharaj and George Linde can also offer crucial breakthroughs with their off-spin.
From almost winning the trophy last time around, the Proteas will look to back themselves to go all the way this time around.
Australia
The Aussies are the most successful team when it comes to ICC tournaments. Having won several limited-overs trophies over the years, they can never be counted out.
The current Australian T20 squad is filled with match-winners, each of whom can single-handedly win games. Openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head can bat out an opposition in a matter of a few overs, while middle-order operators Josh Inglis, Tim David, and Marcus Stoinis are some of the most destructive batters in world cricket.
As for their bowling department, quickies Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins form arguably the most lethal pace-bowling trio in the world at the moment. Adam Zampa adds another level of world-class bowling with his leg spin to bolster an already formidable bowling attack.
Though they didn’t perform up to their usual high standards in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, going into the next one, Australia have the perfect balance of batters, bowlers, and all-rounders to take the trophy home. What will also be a huge advantage for them is the fact that most of their first-team players are regulars in the Indian Premier League and hence more than familiar with the pitch and overall conditions in the Subcontinent.
New zealand
The Kiwis are one of the most underrated but one of the most consistent sides when it comes to ICC tournaments. Though they were underwhelming at the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Black Caps have the batting and bowling prowess to beat anyone on their day.
Their current starting line-up has some top batters in Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mark Chapman, while the likes of Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, and Mitchell Santner offer top-class bowling options.
New Zealand have always been known to perform as a collective, and even though they may not boast the most high-profile world-class players, they are undoubtedly a dangerous side that can never be taken lightly.
Associate nations: Who can cause an upset?
The group stage will also feature Associate cricket nations alongside the very best in the world. Afghanistan have come a long way from their Associate days and are now a Test-playing side. Their run to the last edition’s semi-finals serves as motivation not just for them but also for all Associate nations looking to take the same path.
Here are our pick of the Associate sides who may cause an upset or two this time around.
USA
Cricket has gained huge popularity in the US due to the huge South Asian diaspora in the country, which has resulted in many players with roots in the Subcontinent representing the Red, White, and Blue.
The US played the group stage of the previous edition as well, where they caused a massive upset by beating Pakistan and managing to reach the Super Eight stage. Saurabh Netravalkar was the star of the show for the US with the ball. This time, their batting strength will lie in the likes of Monank Patel, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, and Shayan Jahangir. They also have further decent bowling options in Jasdeep Singh and Ayan Desai alongside Netravalkar to trouble opposition batters.
After their exploits from nearly two years ago, the US will definitely back themselves to cause more upsets at the next T20 World Cup. However, amid experienced campaigners, getting past the Super Eight will remain a tough ask.
Netherlands
The Dutch have been playing in ICC tournaments for a while now but haven’t been able to make the kind of impact the Afghans have had.
The Netherlands are known to cause an upset or two at World Cups. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, they shocked everyone by defeating South Africa in the Super 12 stage, knocking them out of the tournament in the process. They have some experienced players this time around as well in Scott Edwards, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, and Bas de Leede. In the bowling department, they have Aryan Dutt, Vivian Kingma, and Logan van Beek.
Having not uprooted many trees in the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, the Men in Orange will look to have more of a say in the upcoming edition.
Nepal
This is the second successive qualification for Nepal at the T20 World Cup. Nepalese batter Dipendra Singh Airee also holds the record for the fastest T20 fifty, which he registered in just nine balls at the 2023 Asian Games.
In the T20 World Cup qualifiers, Nepal won their games comfortably to qualify for the main event. Recently, they also upset the West Indies 2–1 in a bilateral T20 series held in Sharjah.
Nepal have some decent batters in Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, and Rohit Paudel alongside the aforementioned Airee, while Aadil Ansari, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Karan Khatri Chhetri make up decent bowling and all-round options.
Nepal can definitely make an impact this time around, and considering their recent form, the Asian newcomers shouldn’t be taken lightly at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Super 8 Predictions
The big guns are more than capable of overpowering the newcomers and underdogs at the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup. Taking into consideration recent form, squad strength, and familiarity with conditions in the Subcontinent, here’s our prediction in terms of the teams who will qualify for the Super Eight stage:
Group A | India and Pakistan
Group B | Australia and Sri Lanka
Group C | England and Afghanistan
Group D | New Zealand and South Africa
Knockouts and predictions
Our pick for the semi-finalists is: India, Australia, England, and South Africa.
Winners Prediction
Though any team could beat anyone on their day, due to home advantage on top of their squad strength on paper, India are our favourites to make it to the final alongside Australia.
Out of the two, Australia will hold an edge going into this final due to their previous wins in ICC finals, but given they’re playing at home and have a more balanced T20 side compared to the Aussies, we back the Men in Blue to go all the way and lift the T20 World Cup trophy again.
Courtesy: Written by Raghav Ravichandran