The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will kick off on February 7, featuring 20 teams divided into four groups. While every group has its own excitement, Group D has emerged as the tournament’s ‘Group of Death’, packed with proven finalists and giant-killers.
From the fierce India–Pakistan rivalry in Group A to England and West Indies clashing in Group C, the group stage promises high-voltage cricket and potential upsets.
Group A: India–Pakistan Rivalry, USA the Giant-Killers
Group A features defending champions India, arch-rivals Pakistan, and associate teams USA, Netherlands, and Namibia.
On paper, India and Pakistan appear dominant, but recent history warns against complacency. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, the USA stunned Pakistan in a Super Over, marking one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. The Netherlands, too, have previously defeated top teams like South Africa in ICC events.
With unpredictability baked in, Group A could deliver early drama.
Group A Teams’ Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Rinku Singh.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafe, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq. USA: Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh (vice-captain), Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, and Shubham Ranjane.
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (captain), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Tim van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, and Saqib Zulfiqar.
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Lohan Louwrens, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Jesse Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, and Max Hango.
Group B: Australia and Sri Lanka almost certain to qualify
Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka Lead the Race
Group B includes Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Oman.
Australia enter as clear favourites, known for thriving under pressure in global tournaments. Sri Lanka, champions in 2014, also look well-placed to qualify, especially playing in familiar conditions.
However, teams like Ireland and Zimbabwe have a reputation for upsetting bigger sides, while Oman continue to grow as a competitive T20 unit.
B Teams Squads
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pawan Ratnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana and Ishan Malinga.
Ireland: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White and Craig Young.
Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava and Brendan Taylor.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (captain), Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmed, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Shah Faisal, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mahmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Ashish Odedra, Jiten Ramanandi and Hasnain Ali Shah. Group C: Nepal, the Dark Horse Team
Group C: England, West Indies—and Nepal the Dark Horse
Group C brings together two-time champions England and West Indies, along with Nepal, Scotland, and debutants Italy.
Nepal have emerged as the dark horse. Since the last T20 World Cup, they have won 16 of 24 T20Is and stunned West Indies twice in Sharjah between 2024 and 2025. Scotland, too, have a history of causing shocks—most notably beating England in ODIs and defeating West Indies in the 2022 World Cup.
Italy will make their first-ever appearance in an ICC tournament, adding another layer of intrigue.
Group C Teams’ Squads
England: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue and Luke Wood.
West Indies: Shai Hope (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quinten Sampson, Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd.
Nepal: Rohit Paudel (captain), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sandeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahmed, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla and Lokesh Bam.
Scotland: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay Macrae, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal.
Reserve Players: Jasper Davidson and Jack Jarvis. Italy: Wayne Madsen (captain), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hassan, Christian George, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, and Thomas Draca.
Group D: The Most Unpredictable Group
Group D includes experienced teams like South Africa and New Zealand, both of whom have played in T20 World Cup finals. South Africa are the defending runners-up, and New Zealand played in the 2021 final.
The presence of Afghanistan in this group makes the matches even more exciting. In 2024, the Afghan team surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals. The team suffered a defeat against South Africa.
Group D: The ‘Group of Death’
Group D is widely being called the most unpredictable group of the tournament.
It includes South Africa, runners-up in the previous edition, New Zealand, finalists in 2021, and Afghanistan, who reached the semi-finals in 2024. The group is rounded out by Canada and UAE, both capable of springing surprises.
Afghanistan’s rise in recent years has added intensity to the group, making every match crucial and leaving little room for error for the traditional heavyweights.
Group D Teams’ Squads
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (captain), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, and Ibrahim Zadran.
Canada: Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dillon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskaranjeet Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, and Yuvraj Samra.
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (captain), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, and Simranjeet Singh.
High Stakes From Day One
With only a limited number of spots available for the next round, every group-stage match will matter. Upsets, rivalries, and emerging teams are set to define the early narrative of the T20 World Cup.
As the tournament gets underway on February 7, fans can expect fast-paced cricket, dramatic moments, and possibly another shock that rewrites World Cup history.