Several former Indian cricketers took to Star Sports’ Instagram handle to share their predictions for the four semi-finalists of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Of the panel, only former Team India all-rounder Irfan Pathan included Pakistan in his list of teams to reach the last four, while the others left them out.
The upcoming T20 World Cup will take place from February 7 to March 8, with India and Sri Lanka co-hosting the tournament. Following the 2024 edition in the West Indies and the USA, the event will return to subcontinent conditions and is expected to deliver high-quality cricket, new talent and strong competition.
Former India cricketers share their picks for T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finalists
Several former Indian cricketers have shared their predictions for the semi-finalists of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Robin Uthappa left out Australia and picked India, South Africa, England and New Zealand to reach the last four.
However, Irfan Pathan also included Australia and Pakistan along with India and England in his list. Cheteshwar Pujara and Anil Kumble picked the same four teams: India, Australia, England and New Zealand. Aakash Chopra also supported this group, making it the most common prediction among the panel.
These four teams have won five out of nine T20 World Cups so far. India are the current champions after winning the title in 2024. The Men in Blue and England have won the tournament twice each.
Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina left Australia out of the semi-final list
Mohammad Kaif also left out Australia and chose India, South Africa, New Zealand and England as his last four predictions. Suresh Raina also left out Australia while supporting India along with South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
South Africa and New Zealand are still in search of their maiden T20 World Cup titles, while Sri Lanka won the tournament once, in 2014.
Former all-rounder Sanjay Bangar described India, Australia, England and New Zealand as semi-finalists. Interestingly, no former Indian player chose West Indies, despite them being the first team to win the T20 World Cup twice in 2012 and 2016.
The 2026 T20 World Cup will feature 20 teams in the group stage, followed by the Super Eights and then the semi-finals.
T20 World Cup 2026 schedule, format and hosting details
As per the schedule, the T20 World Cup 2026 will start from February 7, with the final on March 8. The tournament will consist of 55 matches, including a group stage, knockout matches and a final, which will be played across multiple venues.
The competition will follow the same structure as the 2024 edition. A total of 20 teams will be divided into four groups of five each, with each team playing the other teams in its group once. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, followed by semi-finals and a final.
The event will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Under an agreement between cricket boards, Pakistan will play all its group and Super Eight matches in Sri Lanka. If Pakistan reaches the final then that match will also be held in Sri Lanka instead of India.
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