As the cricketing world turns its attention to co-hosted events India and Sri Lankathe buzz around 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup It has reached a fever pitch. As India enter the World Cup as defending champions, the question is not just whether they will reach the final on home soil, but who will face them at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Recently, a panel of legendary Indian cricketers and Star Sports analysts weighed in and unanimously agreed that India are the team to beat.

Indian experts shortlisted as most likely finalists against India

In a high-profile discussion on Star Sports, Indian cricket history luminaries shared their vision for the 2026 final. While every expert confidently places India in the summit clash, their predictions for the other finalist reveal a fascinating divergence in their views on the current global T20 hierarchy.

The expert panel’s predictions are summarized below:

Data shows heavyweights tend to Australiaand Irrfan Pathan, Akash Chopraand Sanjay Bangar Everyone is looking forward to a high-stakes rematch 2023 ODI World Cup Final. Meanwhile, senior spinners like Anil Kamble and batting stalwarts like Cheteshwar Pujara alert English T20 aggression influenced by Bazball. Interestingly, Suresh Raina stands out as the only voice actor New Zealandperhaps in recognition of the Black Caps’ uncanny ability to perform well in ICC events.

Also read: Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan and other experts predict Team India to be leading run-scorer in T20 World Cup 2026

India will defend their title at home

India’s journey to defend their title in 2024 is a marathon, not a sprint. As a co-organizer, Suryakumar Yadav-Lead The team enjoys the luxury of familiar surroundings and a partisan home crowd, but the pressure to be the prey rather than the hunter is immense.

India’s schedule begins Group Awhere they will face USA (February 7), Namibia (February 12), Pakistan (February 15), and Netherlands (February 18). While the match against arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo is the undeniable headliner of the group stage, India’s path to the trophy involves a treacherous Super 8 stage in which they are expected to meet the world’s top seeds.

The Indian management has already stated that it will move towards a “battling first” philosophy, prioritizing the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma With clinical completion Hardik Pandya and Linku Singh. With the final scheduled for March 8, 2026in Ahmedabad, the road map is clear: dominate the power play, rely on Jasprit Bumrah Converting home advantage into a historic third T20 World Cup title in the death overs.

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