Former Indian Cricketers Pick T20 World Cup 2026 Semi-Finalists, Pathan Makes a Bold Prediction
- Gautam Bajpai
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Former Indian Cricketers Pick T20 World Cup 2026 Semi-Finalists, Pathan Makes a Bold Prediction
The T20 World Cup 2026 is set to begin from the 7th of February. The men in blue (get your India jersey) will defend their crown at home and ex-Indian cricketers shared their predictions for the four semi-finalists. Four teams emerged as the most common choice.
The Most Common Prediction
The most frequent prediction among the panel includes India, Australia, England, and New Zealand. This specific group was backed by
Cheteshwar Pujara
Anil Kumble
Aakash Chopra
Sanjay Bangar
Individual Variances and Notable Picks
Several experts deviated from the majority view by including different teams or excluding traditional powerhouses.
Irfan Pathan : Pathan was the only expert on the panel to include Pakistan in his semi-final list. His four picks were India, England, Australia, and Pakistan.
Suresh Raina: Raina was the only expert to predict that co-host Sri Lanka would reach the last four. He excluded Australia from his list, choosing India, South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka instead.
Exclusion of Australia: While Australia is a common favorite, three experts, Robin Uthappa, Mohammad Kaif, and Suresh Raina left them out of their semi-final predictions. Uthappa and Kaif both favored a top four consisting of India, South Africa, England, and New Zealand.
General Consensus on Omissions
Interestingly, none of the experts included the West Indies in their predictions, despite them being the first team to win the tournament twice. And, India was included in every expert's prediction.
Format for the T20 World Cup 2026
The 2026 T20 World Cup will follow the same structure as the 2024 edition of the tournament. Co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the event is scheduled to take place from February 7 to March 8.
The competition format consists of the following stages:
Group Stage: A total of 20 teams will participate, divided into four groups of five. Each team will play every other team in its group once.
Super Eight Stage: The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the Super Eight stage.
Knockouts: Following the Super Eight stage, the tournament will move into the semi-finals, culminating in the final on March 8.
Key Tournament Details
Total Matches: The tournament will feature a total of 55 matches, including group stages and knockouts.
Pakistan’s Venue Clause: Under an agreement between the cricket boards, Pakistan will play all of their group and Super Eight matches in Sri Lanka. If Pakistan qualifies for the final, that match will also be held in Sri Lanka rather than India.
Which four teams do you think will make the semi-finals? Comment and let us know.