ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: Group A preview & more related news here

Group A gets the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 underway when Pakistan take on the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7.

The group also features one of the tournament’s hosts, as defending champions India look to do something they have never done in World Cups and retain the trophy.

The surprise package of 2024 was the United States, which will once again be a fierce competitor, as will Namibia, which completes the group.

India

India, the number one ranked team in both T20Is and ODIs, is the force to reckon with in the white-ball formats.

In their batting ranks they have Abhishek Sharma, who in just 37 matches has made 1,267 runs, including two hundreds.

He has the highest career strike rate in T20Is with a staggering figure of 194.92.

Sharma is the next cab to emerge from the ranks as India continues its new era following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after victory in 2024.

In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah remains strong and Varun Chakravarthy’s mysterious spin is a vital asset.

Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill missed selection, so Ishan Kishan is likely to compete with Sanju Samson for the wicketkeeping gloves, while Samson will take up opener duties alongside Sharma.

With three of their four group matches coming to India, the co-hosts hope to make the most of their home advantage.

Namibia

Namibia is competing in its fourth consecutive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Their best result came in their debut in 2021, when they reached the Super 12 phase, beating the Netherlands, whom they will face again this year.

Last time, in the West Indies and the United States, Namibia triumphed in their first match, beating Oman in a super over. Ruben Trumpelmann took four wickets in that match and is back for more.

Also returning to the World Cup is Craig Williams. Already an Eagles legend as a player, Williams has now taken on the role of head coach as the African team prepares to co-host the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027.

Before they can think about that, they must face India and Pakistan for just the second time, and hope to improve on their 0-2 record against the United States.

Netherlands

The Orangemen can often be considered a difficult team to beat.

Now embarking on their seventh ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Netherlands have twice reached the second round, the last time in 2022.

In that tournament, Leede’s Bas took 13 wickets to finish second in the wicket-taking column, while Max O’Dowd’s 242 runs placed him just behind Virat Kohli in the run charts.

Both are back in the team for the 2026 edition, with Scott Edwards leading the team.

The supreme experience comes from Roelof van der Merwe, one of six players over 40 in the tournament.

The wily, slow left-arm spinner has been playing international cricket since 2009 and was instrumental in the 2023 Cricket World Cup victory over South Africa.

Pakistan

Pakistan will look to put their previous T20 World Cup campaign behind them.

The 2009 champions failed to advance beyond the group stage for the first time after losses to rivals India and newcomers the United States.

They will hope it is just a blip, having reached the final and semi-finals in both of their appearances before 2024.

Now coached by Mike Hesson, Pakistan are sixth in the T20 team rankings.

They will be captained by Salman Ali Agha, who is deftly handling the growing attention on Babar Azam, who has returned to the team after being eliminated from the Asia Cup, where Pakistan finished as runners-up to India.

Despite having played T20 for four years, Naseem Shah is the youngest member of the team and will look to return to his best form, which saw him score three for 21 against India in a thriller in 2024.

USA

After making a name for himself two years ago, the United States will look to back him up on foreign soil.

With home advantage, they beat neighbors Canada in their first World Cup match before defeating Pakistan in a super over to finish second in their group behind India and advance to the Super 8 stage, before losing all three games.

They have since won a thrilling North American T20 Cup final against Canada, and also triumphed 3-0 in a series against Oman last February.

Monank Patel will once again lead the team, having made a half-century against Pakistan in 2024.

Saiteja Mukkamalla is the team’s highest-ranked batsman, ranked 25th in the world, above the likes of Harry Brook and Cameron Green.

The 21-year-old already has international hundreds in both white-ball formats and owns an average of 42.60 in T20.