Former South African captain Faf du Plessis has taken a shocking decision before the T20 World Cup 2026 final. After defeating England in a high-scoring match, India is preparing to face New Zealand in the final of the tournament.
During a quick question-and-answer round with ESPNcricinfo, du Plessis was asked to predict the winner of the T20 World Cup 2026. The answer given by the former may leave many cricket fans in disbelief.
Faf du Plessis predicts the winner of T20 World Cup 2026
It was a rapid fire round, where the former captain had to respond immediately. For most of the round, he preferred to name his country, which is South Africa. However, the way South Africa was eliminated from the title race was disappointing for them.
But will this edition become the champion of T20 World Cup 2026? On the strong performance of the New Zealand cricket team, Faf du Plessis said that India will win the title again.
If the Men in Blue can claim the title for the second consecutive edition, it would be a historic moment. Till now no team has been able to defend its title and no team has been able to win the trophy on its home ground. If India manages to regain the title, they will be the first team to successfully defend the title and the first to win on home soil.
Faf du Plessis’s answers to each quick question:
Faf du Plessis answered a number of questions and shared his quick picks. When asked about the Big Hits, he went with South Africa, and for All Class, he again chose his national side. For the bankable star, Du Plessis chose Jasprit Bumrah from India.
Talking about raw pace, he described England’s Jofra Archer as fast as lightning. Du Plessis chose South African captain Aiden Markram for the Tactical Wizard. He described Zimbabwe as the underrated team of the tournament, while also describing South Africa as disappointing in one category.
For the ‘Safe Hands’ category, he had several names in his consideration, such as New Zealand star Glenn Phillips and South Africa’s experienced keeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. But Plessis mentioned Marco Jansen as Phillips and De Kock both dropped catches.
But, when asked to predict the winner, Du Plessis wasted no time in saying “India”.
The most reliable player of the World Cup? Faf has his choice pic.twitter.com/9prseRDYTz
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) 6 March 2026
Semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2026
Talking about the semi-finals of the tournament, India entered the final by defeating England by 7 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Coming to bat first, India scored 253 runs for 7 wickets thanks to Sanju Samson’s inning of 89 runs. In reply, England scored 246 runs with the help of a brilliant century from Jacob Bethel. But his solitary effort was not enough to save the match for his team.
In the second semi-final, New Zealand defeated South Africa in a one-sided match. Finn Allen scored an unbeaten century to ensure a 9-wicket win while chasing 170 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Finn Allen’s opening partner Tim Seifert also registered a half-century in the run chase.
read more: Jasprit Bumrah enters elite list ahead of India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 final