India's legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh made bold prediction on ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 semifinalists as the showpiece event is all set to get underway from February 7. Interestingly, the legendary bowler has excluded two-time champions England from his list of favorites to secure the title. The tournament, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will see the world's top teams competing for the trophy on South Asian soil.
Harbhajan Singh predicts T20 World Cup 2026 semifinalists
Harbhajan believes that India is the team best prepared for the local conditions, though he noted that their success will largely depend on how well they manage the immense pressure of home expectations. Alongside the Men in Blue, he identified Australia and South Africa as his top contenders for the semi-final spots. For his final pick, he chose Afghanistan—citing their dangerous spin attack in favorable conditions, while overlooking the 2012 and 2016 champions, the West Indies.
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"I think India have a very good chance to win the [T20] World Cup because they are a very strong team and they are playing at home. They know the conditions better than anybody else. But the World Cup pressure is something which they need to handle better than the others, which is the most important thing," Harbhajan was quoted as saying by Gulf Today.
India, South Africa, Australia, Afghanistan make the cut
Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, Team India enjoyed a sublime run of form throughout 2025, securing victory in 16 of their 19 completed matches. They head into the 2026 T20 World Cup as the defending champions, having previously claimed the title in 2024 under the captaincy of the legendary Rohit Sharma during the tournament held across the Americas and the Caribbean.
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Australia enters the competition with the goal of securing their second T20 World Cup trophy, following their maiden triumph in 2021. While they have a storied history in the format, including a runner-up finish in 2010 and semi-final appearances in 2007 and 2012, they remain hungry to reclaim the top spot. Similarly, South Africa is looking to finally cross the finish line after coming agonizingly close in 2024, where they fell just seven runs short of India in a tense final.
Afghanistan remain a formidable dark horse, searching for their first global title since their debut in 2010. They are coming off a historic 2024 campaign where they proved their elite status by defeating heavyweights like New Zealand and Australia. Although that run ended in the semifinals at the hands of South Africa.