Trends And Tactics To Look For At 2026 T20 World Cup

ByMatthew Henry

BBC Sport Journalist

Roll up, rotation up.

It whitethorn beryllium conscionable 19 months since India lifted nan T20 World Cup successful Barabdos but nan latest version originates successful Colombo connected Saturday.

As ever, nan tourney successful India and Sri Lanka will apt beryllium 1 of sixes and runs.

Before it each begins, we person taken a look astatine what has been going connected successful world and franchise games complete caller years and predicted immoderate trends and strategies to watch retired for...

The action for a squad to telephone successful a batter who is struggling and chewing up excessively galore balls has ever been there.

2025 was nan twelvemonth retiring batters retired deed nan mainstream.

There were 26 instances of that 'dismissal' successful world and home T20s past twelvemonth - almost 50% of nan full number successful nan history of nan format.

It has besides happened doubly much since nan move of nan twelvemonth successful nan Big Bash, while Northern Districts retired retired 2 batters successful nan aforesaid innings successful New Zealand's Super Smash successful January.

A batter has retired retired successful a T20 World Cup earlier - successful a lucifer involving England nary little - erstwhile Namibia batter Nikolaas Davin walked disconnected to let David Wiese to travel to nan mediate successful nan 2024 group stage.

But pinch nan stigma astir nan move gone, could this beryllium nan tourney of nan retired out?

Not since 2013 person spinners bowled arsenic overmuch astatine nan decease successful T20s arsenic they did successful 2025.

For a agelong while, nan decease overs - regarded arsenic nan past 5 successful an innings for this information - person been near mostly to seamers and their operation of yorkers, slower balls and difficult lengths. That is changing.

In 2025, 24% of balls bowled astatine nan decease successful T20s betwixt afloat personnel nations were delivered by spinners - and pinch immoderate success.

Spinners' system complaint astatine nan decease has dropped astir 1.5 runs per complete successful nan past 2 years to 7.68 runs per over. Last year, spinners had a amended system astatine nan decorativeness than seamers.

Afghanistan, unsurprisingly fixed nan value of their options, person utilized rotation regularly astatine nan death. More than half of their deliveries successful nan last 5 overs were bowled by spinners.

India were nan adjacent astir predominant users of nan tactic, followed by Sri Lanka and, interestingly, England.

While England skipper and erstwhile starring Northern Superchargers successful The Hundred since 2024, Harry Brook has had spinners bowling 42.2 % of his deliveries astatine nan death.

Former skipper Jos Buttler's fig successful that clip was conscionable 19.7%.

This whitethorn beryllium little of a surprise, fixed accelerated scoring and six-hitting has been connected an upward trajectory since T20's inception.

Last twelvemonth was a large jump, however, pinch batting strike-rates for each players successful each men's T20s tipping complete 130 for nan first time. The summation from 2024 was much than 8 runs per 100 balls.

The preamble of nan Indian Premier League's subordinate effect norm has boosted scoring rates location - teams efficaciously tin section an other batter erstwhile needed - but nan emergence is reflected successful internationals too.

A six was besides deed each 17.4 deliveries crossed each T20s past twelvemonth - nan fig was astatine 23.1 arsenic precocious arsenic 2021.

Sixes are now deed much than doubly arsenic often than successful nan format's first twelvemonth successful 2003.

We are each acquainted pinch nan word match-up these days.

It has go commonplace successful T20 - and progressively successful Test cricket - and describes really immoderate batters are suited to styles of bowling and vice-versa.

When it comes to batting against spin, nan logic goes that batters are much susceptible erstwhile facing a bowler who turns nan shot distant from them - a leg-spinner to right-handers and off-spinner to left-handers.

What is interesting, however, is really each of those astatine nan apical of nan T20 batting rankings, barroom Australia's openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head arsenic shown below, each person beardown records against their perceived antagonistic rotation match-up.

India's left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma, nan world's starring T20 batter, averages 43.3 and strikes astatine 183.1 runs per 100 balls against off-spin successful internationals since nan commencement of 2024.

England right-handers Phil Salt and Buttler person strike-rates of 148.4 and 136.8 respectively against left-arm rotation alongside coagulated averages.

The inclination is reflected by nan starring rotation bowlers too. India's Varun Chakravarthy, Rashid Khan and Adil Rashid each person akin records against correct and left-handers.

When it gets to nan elite level, match-ups are not insignificant but they are not nan beryllium each and extremity all.

Another point connected nan emergence is nan prevalence of left-handed batters.

In T20s betwixt afloat personnel nations, lefties person ne'er faced a higher percentages of deliveries than nan 35% they did successful 2025.

The spike is simply a motion of immoderate teams switching connected to nan benefits of right-hand-left-hand batting combinations.

It makes shorter boundaries harder to defend, messes pinch bowlers' lengths and negates nan threat of those spinning match-ups.

And nary squad uses this much than co-hosts and overwhelming favourites India. It has been a cornerstone of Gautam Gambhir's clip arsenic coach.

Since nan commencement of 2024, left-handers person faced 51% of India's deliveries successful T20s against afloat members - a jump from 31% nether Rahul Dravid successful nan tally up to nan 2024 World Cup.

England, successful comparison, doubly picked a squad pinch only 1 left-hander successful their XI during nan circuit of India past year.

But while left-handers only faced 19% of England's deliveries from nan commencement of 2024 to nan commencement of 2026, nan action of Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran for this World Cup - each of whom could bat successful nan apical 7 - suggests times may, belatedly, beryllium changing.

But if England are to person immoderate chance successful India and Sri Lanka, it feels for illustration Salt and Buttler, their 2 starring batters, will person to deed form.

After Buttler's play astatine number three, nan brace were reunited arsenic openers astatine nan extremity of past summertime and, contempt a quiet tally for Salt successful Sri Lanka, person returned awesome results.

Salt deed scores of 141 not out, 85 and 89 against South Africa and Ireland. Buttler besides made 83 against South Africa erstwhile an opening guidelines of 126 sent England connected their measurement to a grounds 304-2.

Salt, a notoriously fierce starter, cuts loose from nan start, striking astatine 149.7 successful nan first 2 overs of T20s since nan commencement of 2024 - nan 3rd champion of immoderate opener astatine this World Cup.

Buttler, successful comparison, has a strike-rate of just 105 successful that time. He sits backmost and watches Salt do his thing.

But by nan last 2 overs of nan powerplay Buttler is often flying.

The erstwhile captain, having taken a spot of clip to get in, has been striking astatine 172.9 successful nan 5th and sixth overs, moreover outdoing Salt's patient strike-rate of 163.7.

The brace return connected nan powerplay successful circumstantial and complementary ways.