Kamal Ghorui
India head into the T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil carrying the weight of expectation, widely viewed as the team to beat. After lifting the trophy in 2024, Suryakumar Yadav’s side has been backed by many to defend the title and script history by becoming the first team to win the T20 World Cup across three editions. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly also counts India among the frontrunners, though he has sounded a note of caution ahead of the marquee event. Speaking in a video shared by the Cricket Association of Bengal on Instagram, Ganguly underlined the importance of timing form correctly at major tournaments. “What’s important in these big tournaments is to peak at the right time and play well during the tournament,” he said.
The former skipper was quick to reiterate his faith in the current squad, pointing to the balance and depth across departments. “India is a very strong team and I think they are at their best at the moment. The batting, the spin department, the seam bowling led by (Jasprit) Bumrah. So, there is a lot of quality in the side,” Ganguly said. While acknowledging that past results offer no guarantees, Ganguly remained optimistic about India rising to the occasion. “I know past has got no meaning but, they will peak at the big tournament and I think they will be one of my favourites,” he added. India’s confidence is underpinned by a dominant run in T20I cricket. Since winning the 2024 World Cup, they have not lost a bilateral T20I series under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership. Individually, Abhishek Sharma sits atop the ICC T20I batting rankings, while mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy leads the bowlers’ list. In the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, India will face USA, Namibia, the Netherlands and Pakistan, with the top two teams progressing to the next round.
