The most-anticipated T20 World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is set to take a roller-coaster ride from 7th February, 2026. Defending champions Team India will kick-start their campaign with the intention of retaining their title. Led by their dynamic captain Suryakumar Yadav, Team India is a strong contender and takes the poll position to win the coveted title this time, and there are four important reasons behind this. Let’s find out why India is considered as the utmost favourite to win the trophy.
There is no doubt that the Surya-led side has been touted as the strongest contender to lift the trophy (T20 World Cup 2026) once again. Dressed by the recent success, first-class ICC rankings and pursuant presentation from all the players in the bilateral series, Team India look well-poised to get into the rhythm and triumph in the tournament.
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Skipper Surya’s Red-Hot Record
Team India’s the-then captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement after the T20 World Cup 2024. Stepped in Suryakumar Yadav, who was appointed captain. After the departure of Rohit, Surya has been at the helm of the side and India has not lost a single bilateral series in the shortest format of the game! To mark their absolute authority immediately, India also remained undefeated in the Asia Cup 2025, winning the title in a rollicking fashion.
So far, Surya’s record in winning series and tournaments is 100%, and this is why he is considered a strong contender to win the T20 World Cup 2026 this time. This will be the first time India will ply the trade in an ICC tournament under Surya’s captaincy and yet have swept away even the meanest doubt in the minds of the fans that they are not capable of lifting the trophy at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Under his captaincy, Team India possesses a stunning 86.2% win rate. This statistic absolutely pinpoints his dominance in this format.
Team India’s Explosive Batting
The Indian batting order, from its skull to toe, is one of the most dangerous and feared in world cricket. To testify to this fact, prior to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Team India’s batting has been phenomenal. In the T20 series against New Zealand, India scored 240 in the first match, and chased down a target of 209 runs in just 15.2 overs in the second match. The dominance of the side was quite obvious as the opposing New Zealand side was flabbergasted by the sheer prowess of the Indian Team in the field.
After that, in the third T20 played in Guwahati, Team India achieved the target of 154 runs in 10 overs. They swept the Kiwi side in the fifth and the final match to clinch the series (4-1). Abhishek Sharma wreaked havoc with his bat in the series, and has the ability to completely turn the match in India’s favour within the first six overs. Now, there are talks in the town that the Indian team has the right mixture of grit and the passion to display similar performance in the World Cup 2026. It is quite clear that this new-look side is already causing concern among the opposing team’s bowlers.
Option of Seven Bowlers Available
In the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s arsenal will have the cushion of not five or six, but a string of full seven bowling options. Among the main bowlers, his key cards include Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav, while the all-rounder category boasts the likes of Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel. Match winner in their own right, all are capable of bowling and taking wickets.
Adding cherries on the top, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma are quite capable of giving their bowling arm a chance in the hours of need, which can be helpful to break morbid and stubborn partnerships. Though the Indian side took some hammering in the series against the Kiwis, it is liveable to believe that the bowling battery has the gumption to overcome those ‘off’ days in the office. Moreover, as things stand, India will have batting options up to number 8 in their playing eleven for the T20 World Cup, along with an asset of seven bowling options.
India’s Possible Playing XI- Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
Home Crowd Support
The T20 World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and there is little doubt that Team India will thoroughly enjoy the immense support from Indian fans. India will play three league stage matches on home grounds, and a massive turnout of fans is expected, which will boost the morale of the home side.
Indian fans will also flock in large numbers to Sri Lanka for the match against the arch-rivals Pakistan, supporting the Men in Blue on the field. It’s worth noting that the crowds will come in large numbers, and the fans have always backed the team. The atmosphere in the stadium plays as crucial a role in Team India’s victories as the players themselves, shouting their lungs out throughout the match. It is expected that this time won’t be an exception, fans will fill the stadiums and rally behind the players in full throttle to claim the all-important trophy again.
Team India Squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
