T20 World Cup | Three contenders make Group D the most exciting

For the purists, a World Cup comes lone erstwhile successful 4 years. It gives the victor capable clip to savour the occurrence portion it provides the vanquished capable clip to bespeak and regroup. Not to beryllium missed is the majestic ringing to the words ‘quadrennial extravaganza’.

But T20 cricket is nary purists’ delight. And the associated World Cup comes each 2 years. In fact, the upcoming variation successful India and Sri Lanka volition beryllium played wrong 20 months of the erstwhile tourney successful the United States and West Indies.

One squad that volition not beryllium complaining is South Africa. In the 2024 last against India, the Proteas had triumph successful show astatine 151 for 4 chasing 177, lone to spell location empty-handed. Catharsis tin travel rapidly successful 2026. It helps that South Africa is much pedigreed now, having won the ICC World Test Championship successful 2025 and shed the tag of a chronic underachiever.

In presumption of personnel, determination is nary Heinrich Klaasen, but person Aiden Markram has an arsenic devastating batter successful Dewald Brevis, and superlative cricketers successful Quinton de Kock, 36-year-old David Miller — astir apt playing his past World Cup — and Tristan Stubbs.

In contrast, the bowling seems a tad underwhelming, but Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj are notable names, and they volition beryllium hopeless to unrecorded up to their reputation.

Bad memories

The Kiwis, too, person immoderate atrocious memories to erase, similar their non-qualification retired of the radical signifier successful 2024. But they person a susceptible squad, with fierce top-order hitters successful Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, and middle-order musclemen successful Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell. Most recently, Allen smashed a 38-ball 80 against India successful Thiruvananthapuram portion Seifert a 36-ball 62 successful Visakhapatnam.

In skipper Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, New Zealand has 2 spinners who tin currency successful if the Chepauk wicket retains its traditionally dilatory nature. But gait section tin beryllium a problem. Adam Milne is retired portion Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry are expected to spell connected paternity permission during the tournament.

The beingness of Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan makes Group D the astir exciting. The Asian broadside pipped New Zealand past clip around, past bushed Bangladesh and Australia to scope the semifinals. A young squad, with capable resources to revel successful spin-friendly sub-continental conditions, volition anticipation for a redux.

Afghanistan has beaten the West Indies 2-1 successful the lead-up, but exited past year’s Asia Cup successful the group-stage, a repetition it would similar to debar astatine the planetary level.

Canada and UAE volition look to beryllium much than conscionable besides rans. The erstwhile made its T20 World Cup debut successful 2024 but won conscionable 1 match. It breezed done the Americas-region qualifiers successful mid-2025 to punch its 2026 ticket, but has played nary T20Is since then.

For the United Arab Emirates, it’s a 3rd T20 World Cup. Though it has won conscionable a solitary lucifer from six outings, it has done good successful the shortest format successful the past 1 year, arsenic seen successful its celebrated 2-1 bid triumph implicit Bangladesh successful May 2025, and the spirited effort against Pakistan successful the Asia Cup.