AB de Villiers picks his semi-finalists for 2026 T20 World Cup, ignores Australia

Legendary batter AB de Villiers has predicted the semi-finalists for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starting on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. 

The South African great named hosts India, the side to beat, according to him, along with South Africa, New Zealand, and England as the semifinalists. The main surprise was he excluded Australia, the 2021 T20 World Cup champions, despite having a strong team and an even stronger resume at the ICC tournaments.

The Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, have been in sublime form, with their ultra-aggressive batting style. They have only lost four out of their last 24 completed outings, signifying their dominance in the shortest format. Their side also boasts of both World No. 1 batter and bowler in T20I cricket, namely, Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy.

England, meanwhile, have recently clean swept Sri Lanka 3-0 in Sri Lanka, the co-hosts of the upcoming tournament. New Zealand, on the other hand, lost the T20I series against India, 1-4.

AB de Villiers feels home crowd will add pressure on India

Although he thinks India are the clear favourite to win the tournament, the wicketkeeper said that playing in front of the home crowd will add a little bit of extra pressure on Suryakumar Yadav's side.

"They 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," said De Villiers.

India will kick off their campaign against the USA on February 7, at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.