The 2026 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup will bring together some of the game’s greatest players and Al Jazeera Sports has selected the top five.
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Published February 6, 2026
The ICC T20 World Cup has been a showcase for some of cricket’s biggest names and biggest batsmen since the tournament began in 2007.
The latest editions of India and Sri Lanka are no exception, as the game’s shortest format continues to break records and defy expectations with its evolution.
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Al Jazeera Sports introduces five of the top names in the tournament who will aim to lead their teams to the 2026 finals on March 8th.
Abhishek Sharma – India
The world seems to be at Abhishek Sharma’s feet. In fact, it looked that way ever since he signed with the Delhi Daredevils of the Indian Premier League at the age of 17.
The 25-year-old left-hander has now established himself as one of the most feared T20 batsmen in world cricket, with nearly 200 hits in 38 T20 international appearances upon his arrival at the tournament. The Punjab-born opener is yet to play a Test or one-day international cricket for India, but he has already scored two centuries and 850 minutes in India’s shortest format.
Sikandar Raza – Zimbabwe
Sikandar Raza, the elder statesman of the tournament, is highly respected not only in Zimbabwe but also in Pakistan. Born in Punjab, the 39-year-old moved with his family from Asia to Africa at the turn of the century.
The right-handed batsman, who also bowls both off and leg breaks, made his debut for Zimbabwe in 2013 and has played 152 matches across all formats since arriving at the T20 World Cup. It was the shortest format in which he was most successful and became a gun player for many T20 teams around the world.
Abrar Ahmed – Pakistan
Wrist spinners have long been considered key to the success of T20 teams, and Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed has a player who can turn a game around for a sixpence. The 27-year-old leg-break bowler only made his Test debut in 2022 and had to wait until 2024 to bowl in both white-ball formats.
He then took 116 wickets for his country, including 46 in T20 Internationals, with an average of 17 and an economy of just under 7. Abler’s biggest challenge in his career was sadly a lingering hip injury that stunted his early development and delayed his international debut. Both he and Pakistan would hope that these problems are long gone.
Harry Brooke – England
Arguably England’s most exciting talent, Harry Brooke is arguably England’s most explosive. The 26-year-old batsman already has 13 centuries and 134 caps for his country, and has won a T20 World Cup winners’ medal in the 2022 tournament.
The right-handed Brook became the first Englishman to score a triple century in Test cricket since Graham Gooch scored 333 against India in 1990. Brooke’s record was in Pakistan in 2024 and was almost achieved with a run-a-ball. He has already represented three teams in the IPL and has played a total of 169 T20 matches, scoring a strike rate of 152 with 3 centuries and 16 fifties.
Glenn Maxwell – Australia
Maxwell has long been the darling of white ball cricket around the world. The best example of his prodigious talent came when he dragged Australia into the semi-finals of the 2023 Cricket World Cup with two unbeaten centuries, albeit severely hampered by injuries.
The 37-year-old had the nickname ‘The Big Show’ long before he took a knock and was a near-constant presence in the Indian Premier League and one of the highest-paid players. Maxwell arrives in India and Sri Lanka with 281 international appearances under his belt, and even as he ages, there’s every chance that one of cricket’s great game-changers will pull some new tricks for Australia.
