We now move to Group C, featuring England, West Indies, Italy, Nepal, and Scotland. A fascinating group, to be honest.
England
The winners of the 2022 and 2010 editions are a very explosive side. In addition to winning the competition twice, they were runners-up to the West Indies in 2016.
They are now entering a new phase of life under Harry Brook, who took over from Jos Buttler after England were knocked out of the Champions Trophy in 2025.
In terms of the way he has started in the T20 format, it’s been so far so good, with a 3-0 Series victory against Sri Lanka.
Can he now lead the nation to a third T20 crown?
Schedule:
Sunday 8th February: England vs Nepal: Mumbai: 09:30
Wednesday 11th February: England vs West Indies: Mumbai 13:30
Saturday 14th February: England vs Scotland: Kolkata: 09:30
Monday 16th February: England vs Italy: Kolkata: 09:30
Squad
Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood
Player To Watch: Phil Salt
The key to an ideal batting lineup in this format is having someone who can make full use of the first six overs.
The right-handed opener is certainly a player who can do that.
With 1,587 runs at a strike rate of 156.52 in 52 T20 Internationals at an average of 37.78, is an exceptional record to have, particularly at the top of the order.
He hit 5 sixes in an over in a domestic T20 game — something very few English players have done.
Dimitri Mascarenhas and Ben Stokes have done this in an ODI match.
Another handy thing about Salt is that he is also a Wicketkeeper, so if Buttler is injured, etc., he can step into that role perfectly.
How soon will he make an impact on this World Cup?
West Indies
Another powerful cricketing nation that has a rich history in this tournament.
A first title in Sri Lanka in 2012, followed by another in India in 2016, in this format, the West Indies can be a handful for any side if it’s their day.
In addition to their two titles, they reached the semi-finals in 2009 and 2014, losing to Sri Lanka on both occasions.
They co-hosted the previous World Cup along with the USA, but finished third in Group 2 of the Super Eights.
Can they prove that they deserve to be in the conversation of possibly winning this tournament?
SCHEDULE:
Saturday 7th February: Scotland vs West Indies: Kolkata: 09:30
Wednesday 11th February: England vs West Indies: Mumbai 13:30
Sunday 15th February: West Indies vs Nepal: Mumbai: 05:30
Thursday 19th February: West Indies vs Italy: Kolkata: 05:30
Squad:
Shai Hope (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd
ONE TO WATCH: Akeal Hosein
To win tournaments in places like India and Sri Lanka, you need a canny Spinner, who can give you control in the middle overs.
He usually bowls the middle overs, i.e. 7-15, and tries to stem the flow of runs by bowling accurate lines and lengths.
Hosein has 86 wickets in 90 matches, at an average of 26.36, and an economy of 7.35.
He was in the top 10 of the wicket takers in the CPL(Caribbean Premier League), with 13 wickets from 13 games, at an average of 29.69, and an economy of 8.04.
What makes him a bowler to watch is the fact that he has taken wickets of top-order batters from India, England, and Australia in this format.
This is because he can be tough to score against, due to his variations in length.
Can he prove his worth in this tournament/
Italy
Surprisingly, cricket in Italy has been played for well over a century.
According to the ICC, cricket in Italy dates back to 1793, when Admiral Horatio Nelson organised the first-ever recorded game in Naples.
100 years later, Sir James Edward Spensley founded the Genoa Cricket & Football Club, to be followed shortly afterwards by similar entities in Milan and Turin.
The transformation from expatriate to integrated activity started in 1980 with the foundation of the Associazione Italiana Cricket.
Italy were then recognised by the ICC in 1984 as the first Affiliate Member, the Associazione acquired Associate status in 1995 and, following government recognition.
Then, on 1st March 1997, it became the Federazione Cricket Italiana.
The nation secured qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup via the Europe Regional Qualifier in July 2025, along with the Netherlands.
They were tied for second with Jersey; however, due to a higher run rate, the Gli Azzurri will play in this tournament.
Can they make their nation proud?
Schedule:
Monday 9th February: Scotland vs Italy: Kolkata 05:30
Thursday 12th February: Nepal vs Italy: Mumbai 09:30
Monday 16th February: England vs Italy: Kolkata: 09:30
Thursday 19th February: West Indies vs Italy: Kolkata: 05:30
Squad:
Wayne Madsen (c), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge Kalugamage, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Draca
Players to watch: Wayne Madsen, JJ Smuts
The South Africa-born, Italian Captain is the player to watch in this tournament.
Though he’s South African, he has family ties to Italy through his Italian grandmother.
Since his debut in July 2023, Madsen has played seven games for Italy, scoring 205 runs at an average of 34.16 and a strike rate of 132.25.
What he brings to Italy is experience and leadership, both crucial in tournaments like these.
Can he rise to the occasion?
Another player to watch is the experienced left-arm spinning all-rounder.
He scored a match-winning 49 against Canada in the warm-up and took the big wicket of Yuvraj Samra, who had looked set to win the match.
Smuts has also represented South Africa, playing 13 T20 matches for them between 2017 and 2021.
His batting stats are fairly mediocre: 211 runs in 16 matches at an average of 13.18; he will want to improve them in this tournament.
In terms of his bowling, four wickets at an average of 59 is not ideal in this format. He would want to better that stat in this tournament.
Interestingly, despite representing Italy, he has never visited the country. It’s because of the fact that his wife has an Italian citizenship..
This is quite a unique reason to represent a country, but he isn’t the only one.
Imran Tahir, who is originally Pakistani, played for South Africa because his wife is South African.
Sanath Jayasurya, a Sri Lankan legend, is also representing the US in this tournament for the same reason.
How will smuts get on in the T20 World Cup?
NEPAL
The Nepalese have featured in the T20 World Cup on two occasions, in 2014 and 2024, but have failed to advance beyond the Group Stages.
They were granted T20 status after the 2014 edition for their performance against Afghanistan, the more established side.
Regarding their qualifying route, they took part in the EAP (East Asia Pacific) Qualifier tournament held in Oman.
According to Cricket Nepal, the nation finished among the top three teams in the Super Six stage, remaining unbeaten and accumulating enough points to secure qualification.
What will they do in the tournament itself?
Schedule:
Sunday 8th February: England vs Nepal: Mumbai: 09:30
Thursday 12th February: Nepal vs Italy: Mumbai 09:30
Sunday 15th February: West Indies vs Nepal: Mumbai: 05:30
Tuesday 17th February: Nepal vs Scotland: Mumbai: 13:30
sqaud:
Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, Lokesh Bam
One to watch: Sandeep Lamichhane
The veteran right-arm wrist spinner is the one to watch for the Nepalese in this tournament.
His experience playing in franchise T20 Leagues across the world could be useful in this tournament.
120 wickets in 68 matches is impressive, and he is the second-fastest bowler in history to 100 T20I wickets.
If Nepal can post a competitive score on the board, he could be a match-winner for them in this tournament.
At 17, he was the youngest overseas player to feature in the Indian Premier League in 2018.
What kind of magic can he produce at this tournament?
scotland
a id=’7oVkcosdQgZ_l7v48JrE3Q’ class=’gie-single’ href=’https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2233815350′ target=’_blank’ style=’color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;’>Embed from Getty ImagesIn 1994, Scotland became an associate member of the ICC.
They have featured in three ODI World Cups and six T20 World Cups.
In 2021, they featured in the Super 12s.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, they failed to advance past the Group stage.
What will they do in 2026?
Schedule:
Saturday 7th February: Scotland vs West Indies: Kolkata: 09:30
Monday 9th February: Scotland vs Italy: Kolkata 05:30
Saturday 14th February: England vs Scotland: Kolkata: 09:30
Tuesday 17th February: Nepal vs Scotland: Mumbai: 13:30
Squad:
Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal. Travelling reserves: Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis, Non-travelling reserves: Mackenzie Jones, Chris McBride, Charlie Tear
One To Watch: Brandon McMullen
The big-hitting, middle-order batter is the one to watch for the Scots in this tournament.
629 runs at a strike rate of 145.94 is an impressive stat in this format, and he will look to play a key role for Scotland in the middle overs.
He has seven fifties, with a top score of 96 against Italy in a T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier match in July 2023.
In May 2025, he was the fastest player to reach 1,000 ODI runs for Scotland, in 26 innings, surpassing India’s MS Dhoni and KL Rahul.
In the same year, he became the second-fastest player after Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram to score 1,000 runs and take 50 wickets in ODIs.
Not to forget his 26-ball 50 against Oman in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which is the fastest by a Scotland player in Cricket World Cups.
Can he break any more records at this tournament?
So that’s it for Group C of the T20 World Cup.
Tune into Group D on World In Sport.