T20 World Cup 2026 - Team India SWOT Analysis

T20 World Cup 2026 - Team India SWOT Analysis

It's finally here! The 10th edition of the T20 Men's Cricket World Cup is only four days away. 20 teams will be participating in the mega event - battling it out for the coveted title. Team India (get your jerseys now) walk in to the tournament as defending champions. The men in blue beat South Africa in the 2024 finals to win their second World Cup title. The Suryakumar Yadav led side will be playing at home (co-hosted by Sri Lanka) and for all the stars they have in the squad - the big question stems. CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN?

Team India walk into the biennial event as firm favourites and after beating New Zealand 4-1 in the recently concluded T20I series their confidence will be 'SKY' high. India are part of group A and they'll be taking on the likes of Namibia, Pakistan, Netherlands and the United Stats of America in the league stages. The defending champions have won 44 of their last 50 games - an astonishing win percentage of 88.

How does the Indian squad look? Who are the players to keep a keen eye on and what are the 'visible weaknesses'? We analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunites and threats of the Indian contingent before they start their title defence.

Strengths

India's biggest strength lies in their explosive batting and a stern bowling unit. They have three batters in the top 10 ICC T20I rankings with Abhishek Sharma leading the charts. Tilak Varma who returns after an injury is ranked three and skipper Suryakumar Yadav who amassed 242 runs at 80.66 and a strike-rate of 196.74 against the Kiwis is slotted at number 7.

The middle order is heavily loaded. Shivam Dube has been smashing 100m sixes for fun, Hardik Pandya can do some serious damage with the bat, Rinku Singh is one of the most clinical finishers out there. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar can whack it around with effortless ease.

Brute batting power The men in blue since the 2024 T20 World Cup have clobbered 428 sixes (2nd most for a team) and 696 fours (the most for a team). They average 8.7 sixes per innings only behind the Windies by a decimal. The six-hitting prowess is immense and in India where the pitches are belters and grounds 'not so huge', this power hitting ability is a huge plus.

Most sixes in T20Is since the last T20 World Cup (full-members nations)

• Abhishek Sharma (IND) - 88

• Shai Hope (WI) - 60

• Rovman Powell (WI) - 54

• Sahibzada Farhan (PAK) - 47

• Suryakumar Yadav (IND) - 46

• Jos Buttler (ENG) - 45

• Sanju Samson (IND) - 45

• Tilak Varma (IND) - 45
  

  

Most 200+ scores in T20Is since the last T20 World Cup (FM nations)

• India - 14

• West Indies - 8

• New Zealand - 7

• Pakistan/South Africa - 6

A well-rounded bowling unit

While the batting unit is quite literally 'destructive', India's bowling strength is what might actually help them defend their crown. In Jasprit Bumrah, they have arguably, the greatest pacer ever in the T20 format. Arshdeep Singh has constantly come up with match-winning performances and Varun Chakravarthy - the number 1 ranked bowler in T20Is is a proven conjurer.

Most T20I scalps since the last T20 WC (FM nations)

• Varun Chakravarthy (IND) - 57

• Arshdeep Singh (IND) - 56

• Rishad Hossain (BAN) - 56

• Rashid Khan (AFG) - 49

• Jacob Duffy (NZ) - 48

The Spin Quartet

India's tweakers have made quite a mark in the last two years and it's the stability they provide in the middle-overs that has helped India to hold their opponents. Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar have been miserly and have economy rates of 7.42, 7.46, 7.42 and 5.79 respectively. The four can work in tandem or in rotation and get the job done for the team.

Weakness

India's biggest strength - their explosive approach with the bat can also become their liability. The side has resorted to a full power batting style and while the chances of them scoring mammoth targets and swatting teams aside is a possibility, succuming to the same approach can also happen.

Sanju Samson's form has been on the decline in the last 12 months. The dynamic batter has managed only 268 runs at an average of 16.75 in his last 20 games. Ishan Kishan who sealed a spot in the starting XI after his swashbuckling T20I ton in the 5th fixture against New Zealand is likely to open with Abhishek Sharma but if Samson gets slotted in as a replacement in the starting XI, he'll have his work cut out.

Confidence, which Sanju Samson thrives on, is missing. Can he step up when his contribution is most required - We all know what he can do.

Opportunities

Team India (get your jerseys now) are the inaugural World Champions and lifted the title in the previous edition (2024). The men in blue have a golden opportunity to become the first team to win the crown, three times. The two-time champions have a chance to register the most wins for a team in T20 World Cups. Sri Lanka currently hold the record with 54 wins - India and England are joint-second with 52.

No host nation has gone on to lift the T20 World Cup title. The Lankans came ever so close in the 2012 edititon where they finished runners-up. The blue brigade with a balanced unit have a chance to become the first. England are the only full-member nation to register 300 runs in a T20I game. India smashed 297/6 against Bangladesh in 2024 and with the ball-striking prowess they have, they can become the first team to breach the 300-run mark in a T20 World Cup fixture. Previous best - 260/6, Sri Lanka vs Kenya in 2007.

Threats

Tilak Varma, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar all return to the squad after recovering from injuries. Varma is part of India's warm-up preparation and almost a certain starter. Can he come in and make an impact straight away?

Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback in 2025 has been described as "not convincing" compared to his stellar 2024 form. Across 15 games in 2025, his average rose to 24.2 with an economy of 7.74, which is below his usual standards. In the recently concluded series against New Zealand, he was particularly expensive, recording a 9.47 economy rate. Since 2025, he has claimed only four wickets in 15 appearances during the powerplay, averaging a high 56.75 in that phase. But this is Jasprit Bumrah we're talking about. The man is a proven world beater and to quote Virat Kohli "The eighth wonder of the world and a once-in-a-generation" pacer.

India's Squad & Probable Starting XI

Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vc), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah.

Starting XI: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy. Which team are you rooting for? And, can the men in blue defend their world title? Comment and let us know.