AB de Villiers predicts semi-finalists of ICC T20 World Cup 2026; skips Australia

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has predicted India, South Africa, New Zealand, and England to advance to the semi-finals of the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, scheduled to start on Saturday, February 7, in India and Sri Lanka.

Advertisment

Interestingly, AB decided not to go ahead with Australia, the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 champions, despite the side boasting strong firepower. Notably, Australia will be without Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, and Pat Cummins in the mega event. Moreover, Josh Hazlewood is expected to miss the major part of the group stage.

India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, is entering this campaign on the back of a 4-1 T20I series win over New Zealand at home. The Harry Brook-led England recently clean-swept Sri Lanka 3-0 in Sri Lanka. South Africa, led by Aiden Markram, bagged a 2-1 series win over the West Indies at home.

"They (India) already have incredible depth and most players seem to be in form now. It's really looking good for them. But with that comes the added pressure as there's more expectation from the fans and the public. It's adding to that pressure that they'll play at home," AB de Villiers said.

India will clash against the USA in their opening fixture on February 7, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

India squad: 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.

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), 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.

Advertisment

New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), 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.

England squad: Harry Brook (c), 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, Luke Woo.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!