The 2026 men's T20 World Cup begins later this week. Here is Wisden's power ranking of the teams ahead of the tournament.
No.20: Oman
Squad: Jatinder Singh (c), Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Shah Faisal, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Ashish Odedara, Jiten Ramanandi, Aamir Kaleem.
Since the last T20 World Cup, Oman have played 27 T20Is, against 14 different opponents. It makes it slightly difficult to get a handle on their best form. The record reads 12 wins and 15 losses, including defeats to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in late 2024.
Left-arm spinner Shakeel Ahmad and left-arm quick Jiten Ramanandi will have a big say in how Oman’s bowling stacks up, while Vinayak Shukla has been an excellent middle-order addition since the last tournament. 44-year-old Aamir Kaleem remains a force with the bat; he belted 80 against Sri Lanka A in a warm-up match.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2026 schedule: Updated list of fixtures after Scotland replace Bangladesh
No.19: Canada
Squad: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Singh, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.
Canada boast two solid bowling options in left-arm spinner Saad Bin Zafar and quick Dilon Heyliger, with the batting propped up by Nicholas Kirton. Their 17-7 win-loss record since the last tournament is identical to Australia, but slightly flattering given that 12 wins came from 12 games against Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the Bahamas. They have struggled rather more against the stronger Associate nations.
Apart from the two bowlers, one to watch is teenage opener Yuvraj Samra, who strikes at 160 in his brief T20I career so far. He hit 33 off 23 against Italy in a warm-up match on February 3.
No.18: UAE
Squad: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
Haider Ali and Muhammad Waseem are the standout names in UAE’s squad, and the team gave a good account of themselves in a tri-series last year against Pakistan and Afghanistan. But without Ethan D’Souza and Asif Khan in the playing group, the batting is weakened.
There is little to choose between the three near the bottom here – UAE perhaps get a boost since they may be able to ride on Waseem’s batting for the group stage.
No.17: Netherlands
Squad: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O'Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar.
On team strength alone, the Dutch stood only an outside chance of progressing from Group A. But Pakistan’s boycott of the India game coupled with a rain threat during the Netherlands-Pakistan fixture in Colombo means those chances could get better.
Scott Edwards hit a double century in Australian grade cricket not long ago, and opener Michael Levitt could well have a breakout campaign. Off-spinner Aryan Dutt looks an improved bowler from two years ago, but the jury is still out on Roelof van der Merwe’s current ability; the spin stocks are a tad thin.
No.16: Italy
Squad: Wayne Madsen (c), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge Kalugamage, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Draca.
Italy have played just six T20Is since the last World Cup, three in their qualifying campaign and three more against Ireland; they won the final game of that series and earned a solid warm-up win over Canada.
Emilio Gay and Joe Burns are big misses, but JJ Smuts comes with bags of experience instead. Ditto for county stalwart Wayne Madsen, while the Manenti brothers – Harry and Ben – come with Big Bash League experience. Will this be enough to cause an upset or two? We’ll have to wait and see.
No.15: USA
Squad: Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.
USA’s Pakistan win from the last World Cup remains fresh in the memory. They are without Steven Taylor this time around, as well as Aaron Jones; a couple of big blows. But filling that void are youngsters Saiteja Mukkamalla and Sanjay Krishnamurthi, both of whom have rubbed shoulders with some greats in Major League Cricket. Shubham Ranjane had an SA20 stint with Joburg Super Kings, Milind Kumar is one of the in-form all-rounders in the world and Andries Gous has had an excellent year or so in various franchise tournaments.
Saurabh Netravalkar and Ali Khan will spearhead the pace attack, but beyond Harmeet Singh, uncapped leggie Mohammad Mohsin is the only specialist slow bowler. Like the Netherlands, spin may be on the weaker side.
No.14: Scotland
Squad: Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal. Travelling reserves: Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis, Non-travelling reserves: Mackenzie Jones, Chris McBride, Charlie Tear.
Late entrants to the tournament, but Scotland will need some luck to hope this is fashionably so. They enter with the worst win-loss ratio of any team in the tournament since the last World Cup, having won only three out of 10 matches. Their last game was in July, when they failed to qualify for this very tournament, so a lack of preparation could hurt them.
Equally, they remain a solid and talented outfit, even minus quick bowler Scott Currie. The low expectations could also potentially work in their favour. George Munsey is coming off a fantastic year in ODI cricket, while new import Tom Bruce has been in fine form on New Zealand’s domestic circuit. Brandon McMullen, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt and Michael Leask are all capable of pushing any team in the world hard.
No.13: Namibia
Squad: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, Max Heingo. Reserve: Alexander Busing-Volschenk.
Apart from having some of the best-sounding names in the tournament (unfortunately Pikky Ya France is not available this time around), Namibia do have the ability to hit big if and when the wickets are flat, and the bowling is not fully on.
Jan Frylinck walloped a 13-ball fifty against Zimbabwe, and JJ Smit hit a 37-ball century against Kenya since the last World Cup. Bernard Scholtz will lead the spin attack, and Ruben Trumpelmann the pacers, with Ben Shikongo as a commendable second-in-command. There is a seasoned look about the squad, and the small matter of their victory over South Africa last October. Write Namibia off at your peril.
No.12: Nepal
Squad: Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, Lokesh Bam.
Sleeping giants of T20 cricket, Nepal caused a stir when they ran South Africa incredibly close at the 2024 tournament. Gulsan Jha, who was run out off the final ball on that occasion, has come on significantly as a pace bowling all-rounder since then. Opener Kushal Bhurtel also gives Nepal added flexibility with his ability to send down four overs of leg spin.
The experience with more seasoned T20 pros during the last couple of Nepal Premier League seasons should also have helped the players off the field. Nepal also beat an admittedly second-string West Indies recently – they will meet them in a group stage here where two other Associates are in the same group. Spicy times ahead.
No.11: Ireland
Squad: Paul Stirling (c), 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, Craig Young.
Ireland occupy a steady if not high place near the bottom rung of Full Member nations. They beat a second-string South African side in September 2024, but have since struggled against England and the West Indies.
On their day, the Irish batting lineup can go big; Harry Tector, Paul Stirling, Ross Adair and Curtis Campher are capable enough. The bowling is more of a worry, with Josh Little off the boil somewhat, and Ben White perhaps not as consistent as Ireland would like.
No.10: Zimbabwe
Squad: Sikandar Raza (c), 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, Brendan Taylor.
Zimbabwe smashed all kinds of records during their qualifying campaign, but like Ireland have not dealt overly well when it comes to taking on the stronger sides. They beat a young Indian team once, but since last year have only beaten Sri Lanka twice.
Funnily enough, that could be all Zimbabwe need to make the Super Eight. Australia will be a mountain, but three wins against Ireland, Sri Lanka and Oman is not an impossible task. Between Sikandar Raza and Brian Bennett, there are at least two players they can rely on. Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava just need to have one good game each to put a match in their favour. It will need some luck, but qualification is not totally unlikely.
No.9: Afghanistan
Squad: Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Ishaq Rahimi, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik.
Afghanistan made the semifinals last time around, but there is a sense of stagnation about the team since that tournament. Rashid Khan has been on and off the boil in T20 cricket – he remains threatening, but is not quite the force he once was.
Left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad could have a breakthrough tournament though, and Mohammad Nabi is still hanging around. Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli are promising batters, which takes some of the burden off Rahmanullah Gurbaz, but on high-scoring wickets against good bowling attacks, they remain unconvincing. Their success perhaps depends more on whether the bowlers can fire together more often than not.
No.8: West Indies
Squad: Shai Hope (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.
Evin Lewis was the big miss from West Indies’ squad, and Quentin Sampson the rogue pick. If having them down at No.8 feels a tad low, consider that they have won only 14 of their 43 T20Is since the last tournament. Most recently, they struggled against South Africa, Afghanistan and New Zealand – not to mention the Nepal series loss.
That said, they are still favourites to advance from Group C alongside England. Italy, Nepal and Scotland are all banana skins, but they should scrape through. Sherfane Rutherford, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope have been in decent form with the bat of late while Akeal Hosein and Jayden Seales form a solid enough Powerplay partnership on paper. Jason Holder was the top wicket-taker in T20 cricket last year, and if the support cast can step up in enough games, they could trouble teams in the top eight.
No.7: Sri Lanka
Squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Eshan Malinga.
Sri Lanka had some drama around the captaincy, and expectations of the team remain mixed. Their best efforts with the bat seldom appear repeatable enough to cause issues to opponents, despite the undisputed talents of Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, et al. They were also blanked by England at home just prior to the World Cup.
Encouragingly, Matheesha Pathirana looks much closer to his best than at any point in the last couple of years. Their bevy of spinners should come in handy in case of a low, slow, track. It is the higher-scoring ones on which one feels Sri Lanka could be outmuscled fairly easily.
No.6: 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.
South Africa have an excellent collection of names in their squad. Sixth is erring on the lower side for them, and this is down to the churn of players in the lead-up. Since the last tournament, they have played 32 matches, and not a single player has made it to 16 games, for various reasons.
There is a world in which everything fits together perfectly, but you sense a situation where come Super Eights time (if and when they qualify), South Africa may still be working out a kink or two in their lineup. They have very little issue with the quality of players available – Brevis, de Kock, Jansen, Nortje, Markram, Miller, Stubbs, Rickelton and Rabada are all capable of turning games single-handedly.
No.5: Pakistan
Squad: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
As long as the rain holds, Pakistan should make it through the group stage in spite of their boycott of the India game. Their advantage of playing only in Colombo for the entire tournament reflected in the selections of Usman Tariq, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed – four spinners, with opener Saim Ayub as a solid fifth option.
Pakistan have become a neat little T20 unit under Mike Hesson, and recently showed the destruction they could inflict on turning tracks with a 3-0 win over Australia. Suitability for the conditions perhaps puts them a spot or two higher than the base quality of their squad.
No.4: 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.
New Zealand might be a bit higher than they should, but that is down to a rather impressive showing in India in the most recent series (the scoreline of 4-1 notwithstanding). Finn Allen and Tim Seifert should form a devastating opening pair, Daryl Mitchell is as good at tackling spin as any in the world, and Jacob Duffy has become an exceptional all-format bowler.
The Black Caps’ one big hurdle will likely come in the Super Eights, taking on Pakistan’s spinners and attempting to keep England’s batters quiet. Mitchell Santner has struggled of late against left-handers in particular, while Ish Sodhi has not been at his best either.
No.3: 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 Wood.
While Australia had a 3-0 loss in Pakistan, England surprised more than a few with a comprehensive victory by the same scoreline over Sri Lanka, in Sri Lanka. Many have pointed to this tournament as the last straw for Brendon McCullum’s coaching tenure, but England’s chances are perhaps sneakily good.
Three Associates and an inconsistent West Indies are their group stage opponents, and they will not have to face India, South Africa or Australia until the semifinal at least. Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell showed in the third T20I against Sri Lanka that they can bolster the spin attack on their day. Adil Rashid remains a master of the shortest format, while Phil Salt and Jos Buttler continue to pulverise bowling attacks. The ingredients are there, but can the chef bring them all together?
No.2: Australia
Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
The defeat to Pakistan raised eyebrows about Australia’s ability to handle spin, and Steve Smith’s exclusion has also been a bone of contention for several on the outside. But outside of that, they are as strong as any other team in the competition.
Tim David and Josh Hazlewood remain under injury clouds, so some management of those two will be needed. Australia like their small, tight-knit group, so this is familiar territory for them. A difficult Super Eights group, with South Africa and India awaits after the group stage. All it could take is one bad day to send them home without a semifinal spot for the third tournament in a row.
No.1: 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.
It is rare that a tournament like this can have such a strong favourite. But that is the level on which defending champions India have operated, and there is little to say about them that hasn’t already been said.
India have matchwinners throughout their squad, with standouts in Abhishek Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy. Any team that can afford to leave out the likes of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal is frighteningly good. No team has won back-to-back titles, and no host nation has won the T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue have the chance to do both.
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