Group 1
Sri Lanka: For the defending champions, recent performances do not give much hope. After winning the trophy in 2014, Sri Lanka have gone through a rough patch, managing just four wins in 14 matches. Following retirement of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena, no other batsmen from the island nation could perform consistently. In the recently held Asia Cup, the Angelo Mathews-led team lost to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But, Sri Lankan cricket is always unpredictable and can go beyond expectations at any moment. The team’s main hopes are in the pace bowling department led by Lasith Malinga.
West Indies: The only team which remains a strong contender in T20 cricket despite failing poorly in all other forms of the game. The 2012 champions have played only two T20 internationals in the past 12 months, which makes it harder to predict them as a team. However, the three-wicket win over Australia, with just one ball remaining, in the warm-up match on Saturday gives extra confidence to the Darren Sammy-led unit. Even though the team misses players like injured Kieron Pollard, and Darren Bravo and Sunil Narine - who have opted to stay back home - experience is the key strength. Players like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo have played 82 and 91 Indian Premier League matches respectively, which give them enormous confidence on the Indian soil.
South Africa: Last year’s ODI World Cup in Australia has seen history repeating for South Africa. After an unimaginable run, they lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals. This has been the case in most of the T20 and ODI World Cups. But, as usual, most of the cricket pundits have named South Africa as one of the favourites in this event also. The team captained by Faf du Plesis is in all means a well-balanced one, with a deep batting line-up that includes AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, David Miller and du Plessis and bowlers like Dayle Steyn. Last October, South Africa whitewashed India 2-0 on the latter's home soil. With another four-run victory against the hosts in the warm-up game, the South Africans have made their intentions clear.
England: England is another former champion in T20 World Cup. The team which lifted the trophy in 2010, has come to India with some big hitters in its batting line-up. Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and captain Eoin Morgan come as the strongest hitters of cricket ball, impressing even Sir Viv Richards. However, playing conditions in India is always a challenge to the English cricketers, and the young team’s lack of experience on these kind of pitches will be the main hurdle.
Afghanistan: Afghanistan has reached the Super 10 after crushing Zimbabwe, Scotland and Hong Kong in the group stage. With former internationals like Inzamam Ul Haq and Manoj Prabhakar as coaches, the team has shown a confident performance recently. The team, inspired by the batting performances of captain Asghar Stanikzai, Mohammed Shahzad and Mohammed Nabi, and the pace attack of Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran, is capable of making some upsets in the group.
Group 2
India: The first team to lift the ODI world Cup on home soil in 2011, India is expected to be at its best in this tournament. In the 11 T20 international games they have played in 2016, India has lost only one. The advantage of home ground, a rich batting line-up and balanced bowling department make India a strong contender. Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and captain M.S.Dhoni have shown exemplary batting performances in recent times. Adding to the mix is an experienced bowling duo, Ashish Nehra and R Ashwin, with young flares including Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia: Five-time world champions in ODIs and the number one ranked test side, Australia is another strong contender in the title chase. This is the only trophy missing from Australia’s cabinet. But this time around, the team comes with some of the best T20 batsmen ever. With David Warner and Aaron Finch at the top, captain Steve Smith and Glen Maxwell in the middle order and a batsman like James Faulkner as a finisher, Australian batting line-up has every right to be super confident. Shane Watson’s experience on Indian pitches and in all previous editions of the T20 World Cup - with a strike rate of 140 - is another advantage for Australia. However, the bowling-line up lacks an experienced spinner. Leg spinner Adam Zampa has played only two T20 internationals and left arm spinner Ashton Agar just one. On the slow Indian tracks this can turn out to be crucial.
Pakistan: The world T20 champions of 2009 come as the most unpredictable team in the tournament. The team’s presence was under clouds after the Pakistan government raised some security concerns in India. This has pushed the organisers to move their much awaited clash with India from Dharamshala to Kolkata. Pakistan hasn't been able to do well in the international arena with defeats against England and New Zealand and an embarrassing Asia Cup exit after a crucial defeat against Bangladesh. However, their new domestic T20 league - Pakistan Super League - has given the players some good practice in the short version of the game. Along with captain Shahid Afridi’s experience with 94 T20 games the talents of batsmen like Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal will be the key to Pakistani success. Afridi is the leading wicket taker in T20 internationals with 93 wickets and boasts a batting strike rate of 148.92. The bowling attack led by pacemen Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Mohammed Irfan will be crucial too.
New Zealand: It is a new phase in New Zealand cricket after the retirement of their most prolific captain Brendon McCullum. The team led by Kane Williamson has landed in India without much T20 match practice in the recent times, and their performance in the subcontinent has always been poor. But, the presence of many all-rounders like Corey Anderson, Grant Elliot, Mitchell Saunter and Nathan McCullum make them a strong side. Experienced Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor add strength to the batting. Bowlers like Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Nathan McCullum will become crucial in the team’s performance.
Bangladesh: The recent performance of the team gives an understanding of Bangladesh's strength. They have had series wins against Pakistan, India, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In the recently held Asia Cup T20, the Bangla Tigers reached the final after defeating Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The mix of experience and new blood will be the strength of the team. Players like Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahman and captain Mashrafe Mortaza bring experience to the side while young bloods like Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman show courage to take on the big names in international cricket.
