Ajinkya Rahane names his picks for semi-finalists of T20 World Cup 2026

Ajinkya Rahane, a former batter for India, has made his early predictions for the semi-finalists, providing a clear and confident assessment of the nations he thinks would advance far in the 2026 T20 World Cup.

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With India and Sri Lanka scheduled to co-host the ICC event starting on February 7, the countdown to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 has officially begun. The excitement surrounding the tournament is always growing as teams perfect their lineups and athletes reach their best.

The T20 World Cup has a reputation for being unpredictable, but with the depth that most countries now have, the 2026 edition is expected to be even more challenging.

Rahane stated on Cricbuzz that he believes each group has two teams with the experience and balance to make it to the last four.

“For me, India and South Africa are from the first group. I will go with England and Sri Lanka from another group,” Rahane said on Cricbuzz during the discussion.

Fans and experts have already debated the prediction, particularly since both established teams and up-and-coming teams are vying for a spot in the knockout stages.

Rahane’s choice to choose India to be a semi-finalist is hardly surprising. India has a team full of multi-skilled cricket players and enjoys playing at home because they are accustomed to the circumstances. India has rewritten the way batting is approached in the T20 format, and thanks to their depth in batting, they have managed to take themselves a notch above everyone else.

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Last year’s finalists, South Africa, have established themselves as a formidable T20 team since that setback. South Africa has an exciting blend of youth and experience in both the bowling and batting units. Their recent white-ball cricket consistency points to a team that has grown from previous failures.

England had set the benchmark of modern-day white-ball batting and remained a formidable force. Led by Harry Brook, England will be eager to showcase their fearless batting philosophy, star all-rounders, and amazing bowlers. They can chase big totals and defend tricky ones with ease and hence get a big edge in knockout games.

Sri Lanka was a wild pick by Rahane for the semi-finalists. They were recently whitewashed by England at home but will play all of their T20 World Cup games at home in Sri Lanka. The slow, low pitches will help their wide range of spinners, while the batters are masters of pacing their innings on similar wickets.

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