Highlights of the T20 World Cup 2026 Group Stage

ICC T20 World Cup 2026

It's been two weeks since the much-awaited T20 World Cup 2026 has been in operation. Hosted in the sub-continent jointly by the cricketing giants India and the Lankan lions, this edition of the World Cup has given us numerous classic cricketing moments that will be remembered for a long time. The highlight of this tournament has definitely been how the low-ranked cricketing nations have taken the fight to the established teams. They have put on a brave face and never looked afraid of the task at hand giving us a number of close games rather than the one-sided match-ups which everyone expected. While all the talk pre-tournament was around how the first 300+ score will be scored in this World Cup, on the contrary, 200 mark has been breached only 6 times in 40 games with a highest of 235 scored by Ireland against Oman at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

We will now talk about the highlights of the World Cup so far after the end of Group Stage. The below list includes the different positives I found in the first 40 games.

The Nepali noise resonates across Wankhede

Nepali supporters flocked the Wankhede Stadium in large numbers during their Group C matches

Cricket in Nepal is growing rapidly. There were signs in the last World Cup when they played their games in New York as the Nepali flock living in the US were present in every game. In this year's edition, Nepal played all their games in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai and their fans lined up in bulk to support their national players in the biggest event Nepal has ever participated. When Gulsan Jha hit the winning runs against Scotland, the noise was deafening in the Wankhede Stadium, a rare sight in India to see for a non-Indian game. 

Nepal's performance was see-saw throughout the tournament. They impressed in the first match against England, lost convincingly to Italy and West Indies and then finally finished with a win against Scotland, their first T20 World Cup win since 2014. It was the fans however, who took all the praise in a country which has welcomed this sport with both hands. Nepal's seriousness towards building a huge pool can be seen through their domestic structure where they have already introduced a red-ball tournament last year and the Nepal Premier League to blood young talent. The eyes are definitely on the future and we hope to see this kind of support with more opportunities for this small Asian nation.

Azzuri prove they are here to compete not just participate

Italy registered a maiden 10-wicket win against Nepal in their debut T20 World Cup

There is a famous fact going around social media after Italy's first T20 World Cup win: Italy has won as many games in football as they have in cricket at the World Cup since 2006. They are four-time FIFA World Cup winners producing global icons like Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Del Piero and Andrea Pirlo among many others but it has been a horrible run for them since 2014 as they did not qualify for the next two World Cups and are contesting in the Play-offs for this year's tournament.

The breaking story this year though was their cricketing team when they beat Scotland in the European Qualifiers to become the 25th participants in the T20 World Cups. A country which plays on artificial turf or synthetic surfaces rather than traditional grass wickets had never faced a non-European team before the start of this World Cup. On top of that Italy's first T20I game outside Europe happened just a couple of weeks ago against Ireland for a three-match series in Dubai, which ended as a 2-1 loss for them but there was a positive as Ireland became the first full-member Italy defeated in an International cricket game when they won the last match of the series. This should give you a full picture of the task Italy had in front of them.

Their first World Cup game was a rematch of the European Qualifiers against Scotland in Kolkata but an injury on the field to their captain Wayne Madsen meant they played the majority of the game with 10 men and lost comfortably by 73 runs. Then came the historic day. Nepal was fresh off a very strong game against the English team high on confidence but Italy put in a spirited performance with the ball to dismiss them for a paltry score of 123. The Mosca brothers then joined hands together putting on a 124-run unbeaten partnership scripting history with a 10-wicket win, their first in a cricket World Cup. Crishan Kalugamage's 3-wicket haul made him Italy's first ever Player of the Match in a World Cup event.

But Italy was far from done. Few people gave them a chance against England and rightly so given the huge void between both the teams. Italy though seems unfazed by the occasion. They bowled beautifully in the first innings until the 16th over thanks to their spinners but a Will Jacks special propelled England to 202. After being 1-2 at the end of the first over, Italy's Ben Manenti, Justin Mosca and Grant Stewart went on a boundary-hitting spree taking them within touching distance of 30 runs with 12 deliveries left. But another brilliant death-bowling display by Sam Curran meant they fell short by 24 runs. Their last game at against West Indies was lopsided although their bowlers produced a solid performance limiting the two-time World T20 champions to a score of 165. 

Italy played magnificently in patches for a team making their World Cup debut. Once they are able to put a complete game in all three departments, they can be a very dangerous team as they showed against Nepal. Their priority will be to identify and establish a proper grass-root system which will help grow the game across the whole nation. They should also look to improve their playing facilities. With more and more playing opportunities, cricket can become the next big thing making headlines for the Azzuris.

Yuvraj Samra(not Singh) and Shoaib Khan exhibit first-rate ability and temperament 

Yuvraj Samra and Shoaib Khan used the World Cup stage to garner compelling headlines

Both UAE and Canada entered this World Cup ranked 17th and 19th in the ICC T20I rankings respectively. While Canada had not played a single T20I game against a top-ranked side post the 2024 edition, UAE was one of the best prepared teams among the Associates playing a total of 41 T20Is including matches against Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Both the teams were grouped together against South Africa, Afghanistan and New Zealand.

The World Cup did not go according to plan as Canada lost all their matches and UAE won their encounter against Canada by a small margin. There were two fresh faces who caught the eye for both the teams. 

UAE's Shoaib Khan came into this tournament as a total unknown. UAE's coach, Lalchand Rajput mentioned they identified Shoaib from local cricket matches and called him up for a camp they conducted for preparation of this year's World Cup. Born in Bihar, he graduated from Delhi and then moved to UAE for better playing opportunities. Shoaib showcased his talent at a perfect stage. Shoaib batted at No.6 in the first game facing only 3 balls as he hit Jacob Duffy over mid-wicket for a six in the last over of the innings. His moment came against Canada under lights in Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi as he entered the chase with his team on the backfoot needing 95 off 45 balls. But his blistering knock of 51 from 29 balls guaranteed a win for this side by 5 wickets with 2 balls remaining. Shoaib showed excellent temperament not letting the pressure of a World Cup chase get better of him, punishing the bowlers at his own will. He earned a well-deserved promotion when he came in at No.4 against Afghanistan scoring another important 68 pushing his side's score to 160 which was not enough though as Azmatullah Omarzai's quickfire innings ensured Afghanistan won the game with four balls to spare. 

Nineteen year-old Yuvraj Samra was named after the great Yuvraj Singh by his father who was a big fan of the legendary Indian all-rounder. After making his International debut at 18, Samra had voiced his views of emulating his playing idol. Fashioning a similar batting style, Samra showed attacking intent from the start but did not contribute much in the first two games of the tournament. Against New Zealand in the scorching afternoon heat of Chennai, Samra smoked the Kiwi bowlers when we went on to register his maiden T20I century scoring 110 off 65 balls. He scored almost 64% of his team's total as Samra became the youngest centurion at a T20 World Cup and the first Associate player to achieve this incredible feat. Although his team lost the game, Yuvraj Samra etched his name in history. 

These performances should not go unnoticed in this era of growing T20 leagues. Let's hope for increasing number of franchise opportunities for both these promising players and all other players who put in impressive display for their teams over the last two weeks.

USA miss out on the next stage but demonstrate continued growth

USA had multiple players producing in different departments in this year's World Cup

USA turned several heads when they secured a Super 8 finish in their maiden World Cup two years ago. Captain Monank Patel scored a crucial 50 securing a Super Over win against Pakistan which ensured a direct qualification for this year's T20 World Cup. Although they could not repeat same heroics this time, various players in the USA team performed admirably. 37-year old pacer Shadley Van Schalkwyk closed the group stage as the highest wicket taker with 13 wickets at an average of 7.77 and an economy of 6.81.

USA had India on-the-mat dismissing their first 6 wickets for 77 but a Surya Kumar special made sure they finished with 161 eventually winning the game by 29 runs. Their second game was against Pakistan in Colombo but this time they could not repeat their performance from two years ago as Pakistan won the game comfortably by 32 runs. SVS took two back-to-back four-wicket hauls and Shubham Ranjane played two brilliant knocks but in vain.

After losing two consecutive World Cup games, any team would feel the pressure but USA regrouped quickly and posted a total of 196 against the Dutch due to Saiteja Mukkamalla's 79 and Ranjane's 48 off 24. It was the turn of Harmeet Singh to steal the limelight as he tightened the screws on Netherlands' batters finishing with 4-21 as SVS took 3 more wickets. It was the turn of captain Monank Patel's 52 off 30 and Sanjay Krishnamurthi's 68* off 33 balls to help USA finish with their highest score of 199 in T20 World Cups. Shubham Ranjane's 141 runs came at a S/R in excess of 180 and Harmeet Singh took 7 wickets @ 16.14 as USA put in a complete team effort in an impressive campaign.

Cometh the World Cup, cometh the giants West Indies

West Indies won all their four games in dominating manner

A slow lead upto the World Cup amid captaincy changes and unexpected retirements meant the West Indies along with co-hosts Sri Lanka were one of the most out of form sides before the start of this carnival. But as we have learnt from the past, you can never write off the Windies in the shortest format. Mind you both their 2012 and 2016 title wins came in Sri Lanka and India respectively with the two-time winning captain Darren Sammy now the coach of the current side. 

West Indies' vulnerability against spin which saw them lose 2-1 against Nepal in Sharjah last Sept was seen as a big hurdle for Shai Hope's side. Their decision to promote Shimron Hetmyer proved as a masterstroke in their first game against Scotland. Hetmyer's swashbuckling 64 gave West Indies a decent platform as they posted 182. The Scottish chase was on course until Romario Shepherd derailed it with a hat-trick bagging a fifer and helping his side to a 35 run win. 

Another southpaw Sherfane Rutherford came to the party against England smashing their pacers to all parts. His brutal 76* off 42 plunged his side to 196. Spin twins Motie and Chase spun a web against English batters sealing a dominant 30-run win. Successive half-centuries from captain Shai Hope combined with a meticulous execution of fast bowling especially by Matthew Forde ensured an unbeaten run for the Carribean side completely transforming their chances in the tournament.

Chevrons instill immense joy and pride among the Zimbabwean fanfare

Brian Bennett, Brad Evans and Blessing Muzarabani were the main architects of Zimbabwe's unbeaten finish in Group B

Forced to watch the last edition of the T20 World Cup from home had tormented Sikandar Raza and his team heavily. Zimbabwe had lost to both Namibia and Uganda in the African qualifiers last time, a wild reality which may have never crossed their mind. That defeat meant, the African nation had to start their qualifying campaign for this year's event from the Sub Regional qualifiers. Once their spot was sealed, Raza was determined to make the most of this opportunity and prove their mettle to the world. 

Their cricket board ensured they were given ample game time as Zimbabwe faced oppositions like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa to prepare for this marquee tournament. Although there was a solitary win here and there, the team was on a consistent one-sided losing run against these teams. Maybe they were just trying to build a solid playing XI by giving their newcomers enough playing time against top-ranked sides. 

The whole script was flipped as soon as they entered the World Cup. In Muzarabani, Ngarava and Brad Evans, Zimbabwe had the tallest pace bowling line-up among the 20 participating teams and they exploited the bounce provided by the Lankan pitches beautifully. Their three seamers shared 9 wickets in the opening game against Oman as they chased the target easily with 8 wickets in hand. They lost Brendon Taylor for the whole tournament and Ngarava for the Group Stages after that win but Raza and his side was on a mission.

In their second game, the Chevrons achieved the biggest result of their playing careers, something no one had envisioned. After upsetting Australia in their inaugural T20 World Cup game in 2007, this was the second time these teams were facing off in the T20 World Cup. Skipper Raza and head coach Justin Sammons' tactical brilliance made sure their side did not lose a bunch of wickets by going bang-bang rather they settled for a par score of 169 after being put into bat by Australia at the Premadasa. Raza later explained this was part of their planning thanks to previous experience of playing on Sri Lankan wickets. The Zimbabwe bowlers wrecked havoc leaving them 4 down within the powerplay and eventually bundling the Aussies for 146 giving the Zimbabweans a 23 run win. 

A washout against Ireland ensured a qualification to Super 8 but the side was not done yet. In their last group game against co-hosts Sri Lanka, Raza's men chased down a target of 179 with three balls remaining owing to Brian Bennett's 63* and cameos from Marumani, Ryan Burl & captain Raza. Bennett has so far scored 175 without being dismissed even once in three games. Muzarabani and Evans have taken 9 & 8 wickets respectively. Their Super 8 group includes India, South Africa and West Indies, all four being the unbeaten teams of the World Cup so far but Zimbabwe have already proved you cannot write them off anymore. 

Honorable mentions

Surya Kumar Yadav's 360° opening act and Ishan Kishan's fearless approach against Pakistan

With his team in trouble at 77-6 and then at 122-7 at the end of 17 overs in their opening game, India needed their captain to step up. Playing at his homeground in Mumbai, Surya Kumar unfurled a delightful 360° play scoring boundaries all over the ground manipulating the field smartly. His 84* off 49 gave India a fighting total of 161 as his bowlers defended the score by 29 runs.

India travelled to Colombo for the only marquee clash of Group A where they took on Pakistan at the Premadasa Stadium. The pitch was supposed to be tricky for batting and helpful for the spinners. But Ishan Kishan who replaced Shubham Gill in the World Cup squad and Sanju Samson in playing XI at the last-minute had different plans. Kishan has been playing with a single tempo since the last domestic season and he brought all his weaponry on show brutally attacking the Pakistani bowling line-up in the powerplay. When Kishan was finally dismissed, the score read 88-2 out of which 77 were scored by Kishan only. He became the major difference between both sides as none of the Pakistani batters could score at more than a Strike Rate of 130 on a pitch where Kishan blasted his runs at 192.5.

South Africa remove all pre-tournament jitters with four straight wins

The South African selection committee faced a lot of criticism when the original squad was announced specifically with the non-inclusion of Ryan Rickleton, Tristan Stubbs and Ottneil Baartman. The Proteas were not considered a serious contenders for this year's World Cup given their indifferent form in the shortest format and the lack of first-choice players on a regular basis in their lead-up in India. When Tony De Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira got injured it gave an eleventh-hour lifeline to both Rickleton and Stubbs both of whom proved their worth in the first two games. 

South Africa brushed aside Canada at Ahmedabad and then played unarguably the greatest ever T20I World Cup match against Afghanistan at the same venue. The match went into two Super Overs and was decided on the last ball as Rahmanullah Gurbaz missed a chance to hit four consecutive sixes and give his side an unimaginable victory. The New Zealand hurdle was passed with flying colors because of captain Markram's berserk knock of 86*. Their final game against UAE proved to be a formality which they won easily by 6 wickets in Delhi and enter the Super 8 as one of the four unbeaten teams in the competition.

Pathum Nissanka announced himself in style outclassing the Aussies

Sri Lankan batting was in shambles especially their middle and lower order in the lead-up to the tournament. The whole responsibility lied on the shoulders of opener Pathum Nissanka and No.3 Kusal Mendis. Mendis played the anchor role with perfect precision scoring three-consecutive half-centuries in the first three games. But after scores of 24 and 13 in the first two games Nissanka promised briefly until that menacing night in Pallekele. A superstar in himself, it was just a matter of time before he lit up the World Cup and that innings finally came against the mighty Aussies. 

With their World Cup chances on line, Australia threatened to breach the 200 mark with the start they got by virtue of both Head and Marsh. However, the Lankan bowlers managed to drag things back particularly Hemantha and Chameera restricting Australia to a score of 181. Nissanka who took a blinder in the field started attacking the opposition bowlers from the onset as Sri Lanka ended the powerplay at 61-1. First Mendis and later Pavan Rathnayake countered the spin threat of Australia leaving the door open for Nissanka to take on the pacers and he attacked them with pure disdain. He scored 4 sixes behind square and some of his shots mainly the cut against Ellis in the 17th over were a delight. Nissanka scored the first century of this year's T20 World Cup, an innings which proved crucial in knocking out the Aussies at the first stage.

New Zealand's batting, scores a place in Super 8

The Kiwis had entered the Indian shores a month before the start of this World Cup in order to fine tune their playing XI and get an idea of the conditions beforehand. They were hammered 4-1 in the T20I series but the preparation proved to be helpful for the side. New Zealand were supposed to play three of their first four games in Chennai and for a side which had 6 previous Chennai Super Kings' players in the squad, the schedule was always going to serve as an advantage. Add to that the, tasty pairing of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen at the top, this team looked ready for the challenge ahead.

They conceded 182 against Afghanistan but Seifert's 65 and a bunch of cameos made light work of the target which they chased down in 17.5 overs. If the Afghani bowling posed no threat, UAE's seemed even more incompetent. A similar script followed as they were given a target of 174. Seifert and Allen compiled an unbeaten 175 run opening stand, the highest in T20 World cup history for any wicket in 15.2 overs decimating their opponents as both completed 100 T20I sixes for the Black Caps. A minor hiccup against South Africa at Ahmedabad did not deter them when they returned to Chennai for their final Group Stage game against Canada. The Kiwi bowling continued to be under-par as the 19 year-old Yuvraj Samra became the youngest batter and the first Associate cricketer to score a T20 World Cup hundred. In reply, they lost their openers early after which Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips joined hands putting on an unbeaten 146 to give their side a win within 29 balls left. Player of the match Phillips scored 76* off just 36 balls and Rachin got a much-needed score of 59*.

New Zealand's batting has been savage so far but they will need their bowling especially the spinners to improve in the Super 8 stage as they now travel to Sri Lankan pitches which will have more help for the bowlers.

Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq headline Pakistan's lucky effort

Even though they won three of their four Group A matches, Pakistan's form has been patchy at best so far. In fact they were lucky to advance ahead, all thanks to a miraculous 29* off 11 balls by Faheem Ashraf in their opening game and a crucial drop of Ashraf by Max O'Dowd in the 19th over of the opening game in this World Cup. Pakistan is scheduled to play all their matches in Sri Lanka and they had advance knowledge of the conditions when India arrived to play them in Colombo but they were brushed aside in a one-sided contest by India losing the match by 61 runs.

In spite of all the negative noise, there has been a couple of standouts for the Salman Ali Agha led side so far. Sahibzada Farhan was in rich vein of form before the World Cup and he started with a solid 47 against Netherlands but gave his wicket away at a crucial juncture. After learning from his previous mistake, he then went onto score 73 against USA helping his side to a score of 190 which proved too much for the opposition. A four-ball duck and a loss against India meant Pakistan were in a must-win situation against Namibia in their last Group stage game. Farhan went a notch higher this time completing his maiden hundred and in the process becoming the second Pakistani after Ahmed Shahzad with a T20 World Cup century. A total of 199 proved too tall for Namibia as they folded for 97 helping Pakistan secure a Super 8 berth.

Usman Tariq's bowling action pause had garnered a bunch of headlines for the past few weeks. He was being built-up as a secret weapon by the Pakistani media for this year's tournament after he was selected in the final 15 by the Pakistani selectors over Sufiyan Muqeem. He missed the first game but was drafted in the playing XI against USA as Usman started with figures of 3-27 forcing the USA batters to never put their foot on the accelerator. Tariq was one of the few performers for Pakistan against India. Captain Agha missed a trick by not bringing Usman earlier into the attack against Ishan's blitzkrieg as the damage was done in the first 9 overs. To his credit, Tariq did a decent job by bowling a run-a-ball spell and dismissing captain Surya Kumar off his penultimate ball on a slow turning track. A four-fer against Namibia increased his total to 8 wickets in three games at an average of 8.38 making him a potential threat for the Super 8 round.

References: Statsguru by ESPNCricinfo