T20 World Cup predictions: England to hammer Nepal? Sri Lanka to overcome Ireland?
The 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka is upon us.
We preview the first few matches and will be doing so for the rest of the tournament.
Read on for more interesting T20 World Cup sports betting fixtures this month.
Afghanistan vs New Zealand
Key talking points
Afghanistan
They made the semi-finals at the last World Cup following a sensational run in pool play that saw them beat both New Zealand and the West Indies.
Back then it was Rahmanullah Gurbaz who finished as the top run-scorer in the tournament, while Fazalhaq Farooqi topped the wicket tally.
Despite this Afghanistan are still regarded as underdogs and they will be eager to show that 2024 was more than just a stroke of luck. With an excellent bowling attack that features Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb Ur Rahman they could well be a handful.
New Zealand
The Kiwis are an outstanding side, but they come into the World Cup on the back of a chastening 4-1 series defeat at the hands of India.
While they didn’t play badly in that bilateral, they were nevertheless overwhelmed by the world’s top side – it won’t have done much for their confidence.
New Zealand will be very aware of the fact that there is no room for a slip up if they are hoping to avoid a repeat if last times early elimination.
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
New Zealand have made one previous appearance at the venue, a one run win over India in 2012. Afghanistan meanwhile will be making their first T20 appearance at the ground.
This is only the 4th T20I to be played at the ground.
Two of the three teams that have won the toss here have elected to field first.
The average first innings core at the ground is 151.
The highest score successfully chased at the ground was India’s 182 for four made against the West Indies in 2018. The was also the highest score made at the venue.
Weather
Expect mostly sunny and warm conditions in Chennai on Sunday with temperatures peaking around 29 degrees.
There will be a gentle easterly breeze that will offer slight relief from the 60 percent humidity, making for a bright, rain-free afternoon
Form
- Afghanistan: L, W, W, W, W
- New Zealand: L, W, L, L, L
Key players
Rashid Khan
In recent times Khan hasn’t been quite as effective as he was earlier in his career, but he is still a wily campaigner and the highest wicket taker in T20I cricket with a massive 187 wickets at an average of 13.59 and an economy rate of 6.02.
Rashid Khan is excellent and he is properly familiar with Indian conditions having spent many seasons plying his trade in teh IPL. With the likes of Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the bowling attack alongside him, Afghanistan are formidable with ball in hand.
Daryl Mitchell
Perhaps recognized more as an ODI player, where he is ranked number one on the world, Mitchell is still an excellent T20 batsman as well.
Although he failed to post a truly dominant score in the series against India, he made starts every game and he comes into Sunday’s game on the back of a run of scores of 32, 26 and 39*.
Competitive and with the ability to craft an innings or hit out from the first ball, Mitchell adds balance and substance to the Black Caps middle order.
Prediction: Afghanistan
New Zealand are a very good team, but they are vulnerable after a bad series against India.
Afghanistan will be out to exploit that vulnerability, and they come into the game with plenty of confidence after a series win over the West Indies and a semi-final appearance at the last World Cup.
There is a big difference in the world rankings of these teams with the Black Caps fourth and Afghanistan 10, but T20 is made for upsets, and this could well be the first of World Cup 2026.
Also read: 5 exciting under-23 stars poised for breakout T20 World Cup campaigns
England vs Nepal
Key talking points
England
England are a very good white ball team, and they will enter the tournament in a confident mood following their 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka.
In Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, they boast the second and third ranked batters in the world while veteran Adil Rashid is the world’s fourth ranked bowler. Those are some impressive credentials, but England also have excellent depth in every position.
It is important to note that while it still says England on teh tin, this is a very different team from the one that performed so shambolically in the Ashes at the end of 2025.
Nepal
Genuine minnows, Nepal are coached by former Australian international Stuart Law.
They are a side who will be relishing the opportunity of mixing it with some of the best players in the world.
Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh were their country’s highest scoring T20 players in 2025 with 509 and 394 runs respectively with the former just one of five Nepalese players to hit a T20I century.
Sandeep Lamichhane was Nepal’s leading wicket taker with 21 scalps last year.
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
England have won two and lost two of the flour T20Is they have played at the Wankhede Stadium while Nepal have never appeared at the ground before.
Sunday’s game will be the second game in as many days to be played at the Wankhede Stadium following Saturday’s encounter between India and USA.
In eight of the nine previous T20Is played at the Wankhede Stadium, the team that has won the toss has elected to field first.
The average first innings score at the ground is 178.
The highest ever score made at the score was India’s massive 247 for nine, scored against England in 2025.
The highest score successfully chased at the ground was England’s 230 for eight from 19.4 overs against South Africa in 2016.
Weather
Sunday afternoon in Mumbai will be hot and sunny, with temperatures peaking around 34 degrees. Expect clear, bright skies with a light breeze from the northwest providing slight relief.
The combination of dry heat and direct sunlight will make for a very warm afternoon with no rain.
Form
- England: W, W, W, NR, W
- Nepal: W, W, W, W, W
Key players
Phil Salt
Anyone who remembers Phil Salt’s 141* from 60 balls against a Proteas attack that included Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka and Bjorn Fortuin will rightfully fear for Nepal.
One of the most destructive batsmen in the World Salt boasts the formats tenth highest career strike rate at 166.52. He averages 37.78 per innings, which considering how fast he scores, is very impressive. Expect him to go big and early against Nepal.
Sandeep Lamichhane
A prodigy who was spotted at the age of 14, Lamichhane has seen his career influenced and shaped by stars like Michael Clarke.
Bought on auction as a 17-year-old by the IPL’s Delhi Daredevils, Lamichhane is an experienced player despite still being just 25 years old.
If Nepal are going to cause an upset, it is likely that Lamichhane will be key – look out for this leg spinning wizard who has 129 T20I wickets to his credit at an average of 12.14 with best figures of five for nine.
Prediction: England
As good as Nepal’s form has been in the lead up to the World Cup, England will simply be too good. England’s form has not been bad either and a 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka was a great result.
To put the gulf between the sides into context England are ranked third in the world while Nepal are 16th. England have batters and bowlers in the top five of the World Rankings, Nepal’s top players enter the charts at 75.
Sri Lanka vs Ireland
Key talking points
Sri Lanka
Over the first five editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka reached three finals and another semi-final.
The 2014 winners have struggled to match that success in the last decade however and endured their worst result two years ago in the Caribbean when they lost their first two matches to South Africa and Bangladesh and bowed out in the group stage.
Back on home soil, they will be looking to challenge at the sharp end of the competition and will know the conditions in Colombo and Kandy better than anyone.
Ireland
Ireland have appeared at every ICC Men’s T20 World Cup bar the very first and will be hoping to make it through to the Super 8 stage. They last progressed from the first round in 2022, in a tournament in which they handed eventual champions England their only defeat.
Paul Stirling leads the team once more, having featured at every previous World Cup in which they have participated. He has plenty of experience alongside him, with the likes of veteran spinner George Dockrell and wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker.
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sri Lanka have a very poor record at the venue with just eight wins from their 32 appearances while Ireland have played at the ground twice and never won (one of the games ended with a No Result).
Sunday’s game will be the 49th T20I to be played at the ground.
From the 48 games played at the ground, the side that chased has won 28 times while the side that batted first has won 19.
The average first innings score at the venue is 142.
The highest score recorded at the stadium was Bangladesh’s 215 for five from 19.4 overs made against Sri Lanka in 2018. This is also the highest successful chase at the ground.
The lowest score made at the ground was Afghanistan’s 80 all out, scored against England in 2012.
The lowest score successfully defended at the ground was South Africa’s 115 for six, made against Sri Lanka in 2013.
Weather
On Sunday evening, Colombo will enjoy a peaceful transition from the day’s heat.
Expect mostly clear to broken clouds as temperatures dip toward a comfortable 22 degrees. With a low rain probability of only five percent, it’s a perfect night for cricket. Gentle northeasterly breezes will persist, keeping the tropical humidity manageable.
Form
- Sri Lanka: L, L, L, W, A
- Ireland: W, W, L, W, W
Key players
Pathum Nissanka
Nissanka is Sri Lanka’s highest ranked player in the competition at fifth on the ICC’s list. Although he didn’t catch fire in the series against England, he never failed either.
Nissanka comes into Sunday’s game on the back of scores of 23, 34 and 23 while he also bagged a half-century in the ODI series. Nissanka is a handy operator at the top of the order and with a T20I average of 30.84 at a strike rate of 127.25, he is due a big score.
Curtis Campher
Look out for South African born Curtis Campher in the Ireland middle order. He is a hard-hitting batsman who comes into Sunday’s game in solid form having made scores of 54*, 25, 9, 24 and 71* from his last five outings across all formats.
He has a highest score of 72* in T20I while he is also handy with the bat. Ireland have developed into a solid batting unit and Campher’s presence at five in the order is key as he offers both finishing power or the ability to build an innings in the event that there are early wickets.
Prediction: Ireland
This is a tough one to call. While on intellectually there is a gulf between the sides on paper the one is ranked eighth and the other 11th. That is surprisingly close.
Given Ireland’s good form coming into the World Cup and Sri Lanka’s poor record at the venue, we are tipping Ireland to upset the host nation.
Sri Lanka weren’t bad against England in their 3-0 series loss, but the whitewash won’t have helped their confidence, and Ireland will know that with Australia also in their group, a win over Sri Lanka will be critical if they have hopes of advancing to the next round.
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