T20 World Cup predictions: Namibia to shock India? Nepal to outdo Italy?
Tuck into these helpful predictions for day six at the T20 World Cup.
There is plenty of action on the go in India and Sri Lanka.
Read on for more insight.
Sri Lanka v Oman
Key talking points
Sri Lanka
The tournament co-hosts got their campaign off to a winning start on Sunday with a 20-run win over Ireland.
But they will be far from satisfied with their tepid performance that could have gone horribly awry if Ireland had not spilled a total of six catches.
Those let-offs made life a whole lot easier for Sri Lanka who never really got going quite like they would have wanted to.
Oman
Ranked 20th in the world Oman looked badly out of their depth and outgunned in their opener against Zimbabwe.
There is a stereotype which suggests Asian sides are uncomfortable against short, quick bowling and Oman certainly conformed to that as Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava ripped through their top order to leave them 27 for five.
But it wasn’t just the quick stuff that troubled Oman as Sikandar Raza also made life difficult for them.
It may well be that it was a case of first game jitters, but Oman will have to be a whole lot better and braver if they hope to take anything from this tournament – based on their opening game performance it won’t be against Sri Lanka.
Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
This is the first game of the tournament to be held at Pallekele Stadium. Most recently it was the site of Sri Lanka’s 3-0 series reverse at the hands of England, with each of the three games in that series played at the ground.
Sri Lanka’s record at the ground is not particularly impressive; they have won ten of the 24 games they have played at the venue. Oman have never played a game at the venue.
Sri Lanka have been involved in two ties at the ground.
The average first innings score at the venue is 167.
The highest score made at the venue was Australia’s 263 for three scored against Sri Lanka in 2016. It was a game that saw Glenn Maxwell slam a massive 145 from 65 balls.
The highest score chased at the ground was Pakistan’s 178 for two made against Bangladesh in 2012.
The lowest score successfully defended was India‘s 137 for nine made against Sri Lanka in 2024.
The lowest score made at the ground was New Zealand’s 88 all out against Sri Lanka in 2019.
The Pallekele Stadium is set to host seven matches during the upcoming T20 World Cup including a marquee game between Sri Lanka and Australia.
Weather
Kandy is forecast to be warm on Thursday with temperatures peaking around 29 degrees during lunch time.
While mornings may start with sunny intervals, clouds will likely build up by midday, bringing a high chance of thunder showers.
Humidity will be moderate to high, so expect a tropical, muggy feel before any rain provides a brief cooling effect. Play may well be affected by showers.
Form
- Sri Lanka: W, L, L, L, W
- Oman: L, W, W, L, W
Key players
Maheesh Theekshana
Offspinner Theekshana had an excellent game against Ireland, returning figures of three for 23 from his four overs.
He is Sri Lanka’s highest ranked bowler, coming in at sixth on the ICC list, but critically his role in the team has suddenly become more important following the tournament-ending injury to Wanindu Hasaranga.
Hasaranga, who was ranked just slightly behind Theekshana, has gone home and will play no further part in the competition.
While Theekshana is a wicket taker, his biggest asset is his ability to contain opponents and build pressure – he boasts an impressive economy rate of 7.03.
Vinayak Shukla
There weren’t many positives to find from Oman’s loss to Zimbabwe, but the performance of Vinayak Shukla in the middle order was undoubtedly one.
The wicketkeeper showed bravery and aggression as he did his best to make a go of the chase having come to the wicket with his team in dire straits at 27 for five.
Shukla managed 28 runs from 21 balls, and he later added a catch behind the stumps for good measure. His highest T20I cricket score is just 52* but he averages a more than useful 31.21 from 19 innings with a strike rate of 140.06.
Prediction: Sri Lanka
It must be Sri Lanka, surely.
Oman struggled against the height, pace and bounce that the Zimbabwean bowlers brought in their opening game, and they may well find it more comfortable against Sri Lanka, but that won’t be enough to change an L into a W.
Sri Lanka have both the experience and the home ground advantage and at 20th in the world, it is hard to see how Oman will be able to beat Sri Lanka.
Also read: 8 of the strangest cricket injuries
Italy v Nepal
Key talking points
Italy
Veteran skipper Wayne Madsen has not been replaced yet, but after dislocating his shoulder in the field in the opening loss against Scotland, he looks unlikely to feature.
At 42 years old Madsen is past his prime but he is still a wily campaigner whose presence will be missed. Italy are the lowest ranked side in the tournament but Madsen aside they boast a number of experienced players in their squad, and they will be desperately targeting Thursday’s game for a landmark win.
Nepal
Nepal’s opening game performance against England was almost one of the biggest upsets in cricket history.
Regardless of what happens to then in the rest of the tournament they will know that they gave one of the top sides in the world a genuine scare.
It is hard to know if Nepal will be able to replicate the level of performance again, but they have certainly the benchmark.
Well coached by former Australian international Stuart Law Nepal will know that their best chance of a win at the tournament will be against Italy.
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Italy have never played at the Wankhede Stadium before while for Nepal this will be there second game there following the defeat to England on Sunday.
Thursday’s game will be the fourth game of the tournament to be played at the Wankhede Stadium.
In eight of the ten 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
On Thursday Mumbai will experience warm and mostly sunny weather. Afternoon temperatures are expected to peak at 32 degrees, accompanied by a light north-westerly breeze.
As the evening approaches, conditions will remain pleasant and dry, with temperatures dipping to a comfortable 24 degrees under clear to partly cloudy skies.
Form
- Italy: L, W, L, L, L
- Nepal: L, W, W, W, W
Key players
Ben Manenti
Australian born and raised Manenti and his brother qualified to play for Italy through their grandparents. A more than handy allrounder Manenti has useful experience playing in the BBL.
He scored a fighting 52 from 31 in the loss to Scotland and, perhaps most importantly, he looked comfortable at the crease with all the experience of 42 BBL appearances shining through nicely.
Dipendra Singh Airee
Nepal were superb in their opening game against England and at the forefront of almost everything good that they did was the largely unknown Dipendra Singh Airee.
A powerful middle order batsman he hit 44 runs from 29 balls and weighed in with a couple of wickets as well. Airee boasts an excellent T20I average of 32.25 and a strike rate of 139.37.
He is in good form at the moment and will come into Friday’s game on the back of a run of scores of 44, 9* and 50*.
Prediction: Italy
This should be a great game, with both teams fully believing they can win. Nepal were outstanding in their opening game loss to England, pushing their highly fancied opponents all the way.
Italy, meanwhile, would have been sorely disappointed with the way they played in going down to Scotland.
The Azurri may be the lowest ranked side at the tournament, and the availability of veteran skipper Wayne Madsen is touch-and-go, but they will be determined to up their levels after their opening game loss.
The Italians boast several players with BBL and SA20 experience and are a good bet to upset the rankings and bag a win in their first ever visit to a T20 World Cup.
India v Namibia
Key talking points
India
If ever a game had the potential to produce records, this is it. Not to do Namibia a disservice, but they are simply not in the same league as India – and to be fair, not many teams are.
India’s biggest worry will be that they let their standards drop in the search for records and personal glory. They need to treat this game like any other, trust their systems and processes and let the results follow.
With the key game against Pakistan coming up later in the week, this is an opportunity for India to keep their focus and intensity high and to build confidence.
Namibia
Namibia are the 15th ranked side in the world which means this is a free shot for them.
Nobody expects anything from the unfashionable Africa side but in a game that will be watched by billions this is the type of game where reputations can be made and potentially lives changed.
A standout performance from one of Namibia’s players could translate into an IPL deal. The joy of being an underdog is that you have nothing to lose, Namibia know this.
They will be seeking to channel the spirit of the 2025 win over South Africa, and they will be hoping that coaching consultant Gary Kirsten still has some inside knowledge on the Indian players and as their national coach.
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Formerly known as the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium this venue is the second oldest in India. In IPL cricket it is the home ground of the Delhi Daredevils.
Namibia’s opening game loss against the Netherlands was their first and only game at the venue. India meanwhile have won two of their four games at the venue.
Thursday’s game will be just the tenth T20I to be played at the venue.
This is a venue where sides like to chase. Of the eight previous games played at the ground the side that won the toss opted to chase seven times.
The average first innings score at the venue is 145.
The highest score made at the ground was India’s 221 for nine from 20 overs made against Bangladesh in 2024.
The lowest score recorded at the venue was Sri Lanka’s 120 all out made against South Africa in 2016.
The highest score successfully chased at the ground was South Africa’s 212 for three from 19.1 overs, made against India in 2022.
Weather
Delhi will be cool and dry on Thursday night. Temperatures are expected to drop to a low of approximately 12 degrees.
While the sky may be mostly clear, there are suggestions of increasing cloudiness or mist as the evening progresses into night. Winds will be light contributing to a calm but chilly atmosphere.
Form
- India: W, W, L, W, W
- Namibia: L, W, L, W, W
Key players
Suryakumar Yadav
‘Sky’ as he is known, endured a terrible run of form in 2025, but he rediscovered his magic touch in the pre-tournament series against New Zealand and has been sublime ever since.
He heads into Thursday’s game on the back of a run of scores of 84*, 30, 63, 8 and 57*.
That is some impressive recent form, and he has climbed to sixth in the world rankings on the back of it.
To illustrate how strong India are, Suryakumar may be the sixth best batsman in the world, but he is only the third highest ranked in his team.
He is the form man though and he will be looking to continue his outstanding run against Namibia.
Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton
A confident allrounder, Loftie-Eaton top scored for Namibia in their opening game against Scotland with a useful 42 from 38 balls.
He was out just when it looked like he was getting going, but he showed that he is a more than useful player who can also contribute with the ball.
Coming in at number three he has one T20I century to his credit, he averages a modest 21.15 per innings with a useful strike rate of 136.59
Prediction: India
Namibia have what it takes to cause some of the bigger teams in this tournament some trouble – they beat South Africa in 2025 – but beating the best team in the world on their home turf is a bridge too far.
Expect Namibia to fight manfully but to ultimately be well beaten. India may look to mix their team up and give some of the more peripheral players a run, but even so, they will win at a canter.
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