Monty Panesar picks semifinalists for 2026 T20 World Cup; predicts out-of-form Indian star to win Player of the Tournament

Former England spinner Monty Panesar predicted four teams that could make it to the semifinals of the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Published - 23 Dec 2025, 10:45 IST | Updated - 23 Dec 2025, 11:05 IST

2 Min Read

Former England spinner Monty Panesar predicted four teams that could make it to the semifinals of the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The 20-team tournament is scheduled to run from February 7 to March 9.

Apart from the last edition's finalists India and South Africa, Panesar picked Ashes rivals Australia and England to make it to the last-four stage. He feels that New Zealand, who were ousted in the first round itself in the 2024 T20 World Cup, are not strong enough to progress to the knockouts.

“I think South Africa, Australia, India, and England. England defeats big teams; that is their strength. I don’t think New Zealand is that strong right now. South Africa is strong. India will be strong. Australia is also strong. England as well," Panesar said during an interview with KADAK.

Panesar also picked the out-of-form Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav to win the Player of the Series award. The 35-year-old has struggled with the bat this year, scoring just 218 runs in 19 T20I innings at a meagre average of 13.62.

If India does not win the T20 World Cup, then Axar Patel will become the T20 captain: Panesar

Panesar opined that if India fails to lift the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar could make way for Axar Patel in the captain's role in the shortest format. The cricketer-turned-expert stated that India's head coach Gautam Gambhir's affinity for all-rounders could play a role behind this decision.

“I think it is like that, because Gautam Gambhir likes all-rounders. In Test cricket as well as in T20s, he prefers players who can contribute a bit with both batting and bowling. He feels more comfortable with such players. So I think maybe if India does not win the T20 World Cup, then Axar Patel will become the T20 captain," Panesar opined.

Gill & Suyakumar's T20 WC cases are different: Ex-IND batter