The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to explode between India and Sri Lanka Between February 7 and March 8, 20 teams competed in 55 high-octane matches. The tournament covers eight popular venues including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai. IndiaAlong with Colombo and Kandy Sri Lanka. Defending champions India will kick off against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7, while the grand final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
T20 World Cup 2026: Ricky Ponting’s latest prediction for both leading run-scorer and Player of the Tournament
The legendary Australian captain has been massively endorsed ahead of the tournament Ricky Ponting named the opener Abhishek Sharma being both leading scorer and Player of the Tournament is his choice. Ponting, who was Abhishek’s first IPL coach in Delhi, revealed that he “begged” the franchise not to trade the youngster years ago, recognizing his superstar potential from his first ball. ICC Hall of Famer believes that Abhishek “lack of experience” it is a secret weapon that allows him to play without mental burden or fear in major ICC events.
“He’s a star. I think that (lack of experience) is a real positive to be honest. He could be the leading scorer and potentially Player of the Tournament. I think he’s as good as he can be. If he can do that, it makes India that much harder to beat. If he doesn’t, they’re as vulnerable as anyone else. India.” Ponting informed the ICC about this.
After a sensational series against New Zealand in which he scored a stunning average of 45.50 and a strike rate of 249.31, Abhishek sees Ponting as the “X-factor” that will make India almost impossible to beat if they find their rhythm early in the group stage.
“I was his first IPL coach. He debuted with me in Delhi, I think as a 17-year-old, and he made an immediate impact. I think he hit the bowler’s head four or six times straight back with this classic straight bat and held his pose. And as a 17-year-old, you could see we took him away from something special. And he begged and begged and said please don’t do it. (keep it), there’s definitely a superstar here. Ponting concluded.
India’s T20 World Cup title defense under Suryakumar Kumar
under his leadership Suryakumar YadavThe Men in Blue enter the 2026 edition as the defending champions and the highest-ranked T20I side in the world. India are drawn in Group A along with arch-rivals Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands and the United States, with the opening match against the Americans at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7.
The squad has incredible depth with a mix of seasoned veterans jasprit bumrah and Hardik Pandya Along with the explosive “Gen-Next” stars who dominated the home streak leading up to the Cup. With the tournament co-hosting in India and Sri Lanka, the home advantage and familiarity with the subcontinental tracks make India heavy favorites to become the first team to win back-to-back Men’s T20 World Cup titles.
