The much-awaited T20 World Cup 2026 is underway in India and Sri Lanka. A total of 20 teams are taking part in the tournament. Scotland replaced Bangladesh at the last moment. In total, 52 matches will be played before the semi-finals and final.

The Netherlands are facing Pakistan in the opening match of the ICC tournament. Defending champions India will start their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on February 7. Below is a look at the four groups of the tournament:

• Group A: India, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan, USA
• Group B: Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
• Group C: England, Italy, Nepal, Scotland, West Indies
• Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, UAE

Here are five former players who took part in the first T20 World Cup in 2007 and are now coaching teams in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.

Also read -Watch: Axar Patel strikes twice in an over to leave USA in trouble in the T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match

1. Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir played in the 2007 T20 World Cup and played a key role in India’s title win. The left-handed batter was the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament, scoring 227 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 129.71, including three half-centuries. In the final against Pakistan, he scored 75 runs off 54 balls with two sixes and eight fours as India won the match by five runs.

As a coach, Gambhir has guided India to seven straight T20I series wins after taking over from Rahul Dravid. Under his guidance, India also won the 2025 Asia Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. He will now aim to help India become the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home.

2. Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya represented Sri Lanka in the 2007 T20 World Cup. He scored 154 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 160.42, including two half-centuries. With the ball, he took four wickets at an economy rate of 7.94. However, Sri Lanka failed to reach the semi-finals.

As a coach, Jayasuriya faces a tough task. Sri Lanka recently lost a T20I series to England 0-3 and drew their previous series against Pakistan 1-1. Sri Lanka are placed in Group B along with Australia, Oman, Zimbabwe, and Ireland.

3. Brendon McCullum

England head coach Brendon McCullum also played in the 2007 T20 World Cup. The former wicketkeeper-batter scored 139 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 121.93. His performance helped New Zealand reach the semi-finals.

After England lost the Ashes series 1-4, McCullum helped the team bounce back by winning a T20I series in Sri Lanka 3-0. He will now look to guide England, two-time champions, to a strong showing in the 2026 T20 World Cup. England are placed in Group C with Italy, Nepal, Scotland, and the West Indies.

4. Daren Sammy

Daren Sammy was part of the West Indies squad in the 2007 T20 World Cup but did not play a match. During his career, he played 68 T20Is for the West Indies, scoring 587 runs and taking 44 wickets.

As coach, Sammy has a big challenge ahead. The West Indies have lost their last three T20I series against South Africa, Afghanistan, and New Zealand. With senior players like Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine missing, Sammy will need strong performances from the rest of the squad.

5. Morne Morkel

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel also played in the 2007 T20 World Cup. The former South African fast bowler took nine wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 6.00. His best performance was 4/17 against New Zealand. South Africa, however, did not reach the semi-finals that year.

With top bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj in the squad, Morkel will be hopeful of India lifting the 2026 T20 World Cup. Under his coaching, India have already won the 2025 Champions Trophy.

The former Indian opening batter, Robin Uthappa, has questioned the strategy of the national side’s T20 batting as they faced their largest defeat in terms of runs during the second clash against South Africa at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.

A few days ago, the head coach of the Blue Brigade, Gautam Gambhir, claimed that the batting orders are overrated. In the second game, during India’s massive chase, they sent Axar Patel at number four, ahead of Tilak Verma. Uthappa has now questioned Gambhir’s plan in T20s.

See Also: Watch: “Forever grateful…”-Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre’s hilarious interview in U-19 Asia Cup 2025 goes viral

“South Africa batted and bowled exceptionally well to bounce back after the first game. With the new ball, they were outstanding on that surface. Lungi Ngidi’s delivery to Shubman Gill was an absolute peach, and the ball to Abhishek Sharma cramped him for room on a testing back‑of‑a‑length. They consistently hit the right areas and kept India under pressure.” Uthappa expressed on his YouTube channel.

Robin Uthappa slams Gautam Gambhir’s T20 strategy

Uthappa also praised the Protea side, who continued to nail the big shots from the start to the end. Quinton de Kock was the main contributor in the department before the last wicket stand of David Miller and Donovan Ferreira blasted them over the 200-run mark.

“With the bat, they made a clear statement by attacking India’s best bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, right from the start. Quinton de Kock was phenomenal, built strong partnerships with Aiden Markram, ran superbly with Dewald Brevis, and kept the tempo high by hitting in his preferred zones. Donovan Ferreira and David Miller then finished things off in style.” The former KKR batter addressed.

“At the international level, batters need clear roles and a clear idea of how they’re going to construct an innings. Flexibility with match-ups after the first six to eight overs is fine, but you still need a solid foundation before you can chase a big score — you can’t build a skyscraper without a base. I don’t agree with being overly flexible so early in the innings beyond the openers.” Robin Uthappa concluded.

It was very shocking when the former premier spin all-rounder of the Indian side, Ravichandran Ashwin, walked into the post-match press conference after the end of the third Brisbane Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with captain Rohit Sharma and announced his decision to retire from international cricket. 

At that point, many reckoned that Ashwin perhaps had been forced to take the decision by their head coach, Gautam Gambhir. Fans have now started to connect that with the omission of Rohit Sharma from ODI captaincy and a potential retirement of both Kohli and Sharma. But Ashwin clarified the entire incident during his recent YouTube video.

See Also: [WATCH] Harleen Deol recalls how MS Dhoni helped her during injury period ahead of Women's World Cup 2025

“No one told me to retire. Nobody came and said that I didn’t have a place in the team and forced me to retire. Even before making the decision, there were a few people who actually asked me not to make such a decision. I don’t think it’s about that. In fact, they want me to play for a long time. That was their decision. It was about me.” Ashwin revealed.

Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin recalls Test retirement decision during BGT 2024-25

Ashwin looked back at the time when Rohit and Gambhir wanted the Chennai-born to continue playing in the longest format. The Tamil Nadu batter also explained that he didn’t reach out to Ajit Agarkar, who is the chairman of the selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

🗣️R Ashwin- Noone told me to "you don't have place in team so you retire both Rohit and GG Bhai told me to think again" but I was told by Macrohard in India that Gautam Gambhir removed Ravi Ashwin but Rohit Sharma wanted him in team.

Thanks for Clarification @ashwinravi99 🙏 pic.twitter.com/QgwnkbLHTe

— कट्टर INDIA समर्थक 🦁🇮🇳 ™ (@KKRWeRule) October 9, 2025

“Rohit told me to think about it and the reason I wanted to do it. Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) also told me that. I didn’t discuss with Ajit. His position as the chairman of the selection committee is different. He picks the squad. And it’s quite personal when it comes to retirement. These are very individual decisions.” Ashwin addressed.

For the upcoming ODI series against Australia down under, Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new leader with Kohli and Rohit returning for the national side since the final of the Champions Trophy 2025. The pressure will be on those veterans to perform to keep their place on the team.

Andy Flower, the former Zimbabwe batter, who coached the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden title of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is now with the Trent Rockets in the same role during the ongoing The Hundred 2025. Flower has a successful CV in the role as they got the better of Manchester Originals at home.

After the end of the clash, he had a light-hearted exchange with the broadcasters. The former Indian wicket-keeper batter, Dinesh Karthik, who worked with Flower in RCB for IPL 2025, revealed that the UK fans wrote complaints to broadcasters about the Indian head coach, Gautam Gabhir, for not smiling through the seven weeks of the five-match Test series against India.

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“All of the UK has complained and tweeted about it, written to SKY Sports... Three people over the summer haven't found a way to get them to smile. One is Gautam Gambhir, two is Nasser Hussain in the commentary box, and the third person is you. Why aren't people able to see you smiling when you wear the coach's hat in that dugout?” Karthik jokingly asked on Sky Sports Cricket.

Watch: Andy Flower shocks Dinesh Karthik in hilarious conversation during The Hundred 2025

Flower was previously England’s head coach and played a key role in the IPL 2025 winning campaign, as they also made a huge record by winning all the away games during the group stage of the competition. But he suddenly revealed to Karthik that many people misunderstand him.

'Three people over the summer, they haven't found a way to get them to smile... Gautam Gambhir, Nasser Hussain and you' 🤣

Never change, DK! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ORyn8FiNxN

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 19, 2025

“DK, people misunderstand me completely, you know that for sure.” Flower responded with a chuckle, to which the reply, “I surely do,” came from the Indian wicket-keeper batter as the former England pacer, Dominic Cork, couldn’t control his laughter at the entire interaction.

Gambhir came into the away England series under pressure, having faced a whitewash in the three-match Test series against New Zealand, besides getting another 3-1 series defeat during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 down under. In between, he won the Champions Trophy 2025 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), beating New Zealand in the final.

Harshit Rana, the right-arm fast bowler, who played with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, has a huge admiration for the current Indian head coach, who helped them lift their third title of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024. Rana comments on Gambhir’s mental toughness.

The Delhi-born addressed how the former India opening batter had his eyes focused on the IPL trophy of the season, besides putting the glue in their team bonding every time. He also shed light on the backing he displayed behind them as a team, irrespective of domestic, national, or foreign players.

See Also: The Hundred 2025, Match 2: Manchester Originals vs Southern Brave full match highlights and scorecard

“Not like that intense, but he is focused. If he has decided to do something, then he will not let anything come around that. That’s the thing with him. I never had jokes with him, but the best thing about KKR that season was the bonding. He kept us together. His backing and mental toughness him was incredible.” Rana addressed during a recent podcast with Beer Biceps.

Watch: Harshit Rana comments on how Gautam Gambhir changed KKR during IPL 2024

Rana was excellent in that season with the ball, finishing as the fifth leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps in 11 innings at an average of 20.15 and an economy rate of 9.08, thanks to the best bowling figure of 3/24 in an innings. Varun Chakravarthy of KKR ended as the second-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps at 19.14.

🗣️ Harshit Rana on Gautam Gambhir’s mentality, toughness, backing, and what he changed at KKR :pic.twitter.com/zvxqL9K3lz

— KKR Karavan (@KkrKaravan) August 6, 2025

“From the very first day, he always used to tell us that we should keep our focus on the 26th because we had to lift the trophy on that evening. The very first day when he came to the dressing room, he said that we should keep an eye on the 26th and see ourselves lifting the trophy on that day. Every day, that was the discussion, whether you lose or win, it doesn’t matter.” The Knight Riders’ bowler revealed.

Later, the 23-year-old went on to make his debut in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, besides playing six white-ball games for the Blue Brigade. He will look to work on his fitness and performance to get back into the national side.

Indian will take on England in the fifth Test scheduled to commence on July 31 at the Kennington Oval. England are ahead in the series with a margin of 2-1 and the final showdown provides India with a chance of a rare feat of levelling the series in England. India have shown their prowess with the bat in the last game where crucial partnerships avoided a potential loss in Manchester.

Having said that, India’s bowling has not been upto the mark in the last game as the pacers failed to fetch regular wickets providing timely freebies to the English batters. Ahead of the final Test, India Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir was involved in a pep talk with the team and made the team realise the importance of the upcoming game and the potential of the team to decimate the opposition.

See Also: India Champions boycott WCL 2025 semifinal against Pakistan Champions: Reports

Watch the video here:

4 Tests ✅

Time for One Final Push in the series finale 👍

𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙂𝙊! 👏👏#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/pj8a7AXb8N

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 31, 2025

“Guys, all I want to say is there are two ways of looking at this tour. One is that we are without our three most experienced players. We got this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country because there is no bigger honour,” said Gambhir in a video uploaded by BCCI.

India to make major changes to the playing XI

India are without the services of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the final Test also looms under cloudy sky. It would be interesting see if Indian brings back Akash Deep and Karun Nair in the playing XI in their aim to level the series

There was so much focus on the first press conference of the Indian team during their optional practice session ahead of the fifth Test of the five-match series at the Kennington Oval in South London. The series is already spiced up after the Lord’s altercation and the Manchester handshake saga. Now, it has got a new chapter of altercation between the coach and the curator.  

India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and later the batting coach of the side, Shitanshu Kotak, were engaged in a heated altercation with the Surrey curator, Lee Fortis, as the former was heard to be telling Fortis not to tell him what to do. It was not known what happened until Kotak met the media.

See Also: [WATCH] Gautam Gambhir angry on groundsmen ahead of ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

‘When we were having a conversation near the pitch. They had sent a man to send a message for us to stay 2.5 m away from the pitch. We were wearing joggers. We know curators are possessive about the square. What he said about the head coach is his opinion, and I don’t want to comment. We did nothing wrong; we were wearing rubber spikes.’ Kotak expressed in the press conference.

Shitanshu Kotak comments on Gautam Gambhir's curator controversy ahead of ENG vs IND 5th Test

Most of the players from the last game’s playing eleven decided to take an extra off-day, as Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, and Anshul Kamboj turned up for the optional session. Sai Sudharsan was the first to hit the nets as he kept batting practice.

People are highly skilled and intelligent. None of the bowlers was even wearing spikes. You can be protective but not arrogant. It is not an antique that you can’t touch. He said we are trying to grow the grass. At the end of the day, it’s a cricket pitch. We will not be lodging any complaints.’ Kotak shed light.

Due to India’s incredible performance with the bat, they were able to draw the game in Manchester and will now have a chance to walk off the trip with a 2-2 margin, something which looked like a daydream after losing the opening Headingley Test.

Just two days before the final and deciding Test between India and England, things turned tense at The Oval. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir got into a heated argument with the pitch curator, Lee Fortis, on Tuesday afternoon.

As reported by Times of India, the discussion started politely but quickly became aggressive. Gambhir, unhappy with the pitch or the arrangements, seemed frustrated and was seen pointing fingers during the exchange. At one point, he reportedly said, “You don't tell us what to do.”

The situation got so intense that India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had to step in and calm things down. After the clash, Lee Fortis and the ground staff threatened to file an official complaint against Gambhir’s behaviour.

🚨 A COMPLAINT AGAINST GAUTAM GAMBHIR AT OVAL 🚨

- The Oval stadium's staff have threatened to lodge a complaint against the India Head coach Gautam Gambhir. (Sahil Malhotra/TOI). pic.twitter.com/JZRO1KQOBE

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) July 29, 2025

But Gambhir didn’t back down. He replied, “You can go and report to whoever you want, but you can't tell us what to do.” It's still unclear what exactly caused the argument. The Indian team’s security head was called in, and Kotak was later seen talking to the Surrey media manager to explain what happened. A press conference is expected later in the day, which might provide more details.

ALSO READ: ENG vs IND 5th Test: After Anshul Kamboj, another pacer can make Test debut, decision to come soon

England currently lead the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1, and India are hoping to level the series after their brave draw in Manchester. After the fourth Test, Gambhir had praised his team. “They want to fight for the common man back home,” he said. “A lot of people had written us off, but this team showed great spirit.” “These players in the dressing room are fighters. They’ll keep giving everything for the country,” he added.

It has not been a great start for the Indian team on their first optional session two days before the start of the fifth and final Test of the five-match series against England at the Kennington Oval in South London, where their head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was seen to be engaged in a heated argument with the Surrey groundsmen during the net session. It was the day after the tourits reached London with aim to level the series after their incredible performance to draw the fourth game at Old Trafford in Manchester.

The reports have claimed that there were several finger-wragging on the groundsmen from the former Indian opening batter after he was upset with something. Later, the batting coach of the side, Sitanshu Kotak, jumped into the altercation because he was also animated with the pitch curator, Lee Fortis. The head coach was heard saying, 'you don't tell me what to do.' Definitely something has happened which didn't satify the Indian coach. 

See Also: [WATCH] Will Joe Root surpass Sachin Tendulkar's most Test runs? Former England star predicts

Fortis later was seen to be involved in a lengthy chat with Kotay, perhaps trying to understand him the entire story. At first, the curator walked away from Gautam and was engaged in a discussion with Kotak. The former returned to his place to oversee the net session of the touring party. Fortis, from a distance, was watching the Blue Brigade's net session. 

Watch: Gautam Gambhir angry on groundsmen ahead of ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

Most of the players involved during the Manchester clash decided to skip the optional session after five days' of hard work. However, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and other were part of the practice as one of these players are expected to return to the playing eleven for the series decider. Sai Sudharsan, who had 60 and a duck at Old Trafford, was the first to hit the nets. 

🚨 Just In: Gautam Gambhir involved in a heated argument with The Oval Stadium’s pitch curator.
Here’s a glimpse of the confrontation — full video drops soon on our YouTube channel! 👀📹 #Gambhir #OvalTest #Cricket #ENGvsIND #INDvsENG
📸 @AnkanKar pic.twitter.com/gJlwWU6u5Z

— Ray Sportz Cricket (@raysportz_cric) July 29, 2025

It has already been a spicy series between the two sides. It started with the tourists went after Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the two home openers, for wasting time during the end of the third day of the third Test at Lord's. 

It went to a mad position when Ben Stokes' proposal of drawing the Manhcester Test at the start of te last hour was denied by the two batters in the middle, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, both of whom were nearing their milestone after four hours of hard work in challenging conditions. 

The fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford in Manchester hasn’t been a fun week for the bowlers. In both camps, after six weeks of the series, there are some tired and heavy legs. In that case, the question has arisen whether they would gain full fitness for the fifth fixture at the Kennington Oval in South London.

India faces a selection dilemma ahead of the contest. Their head coach, Gautam Gambhir, before the start of the series, made it clear that they would keep their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, only in three games of the series, which has already been completed. But with the series in line, questions have emerged on whether he would look to change his decision.

See Also: [WATCH] ‘I didn’t…’- Former England captain reacts to India refusing to shake hands in ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

"All the fast bowlers are fit. There are no injury concerns. We haven't had any conversation around the combination for the last Test. No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try to do the job for the country.’ Gambhir expressed in the press conference.

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir hints at Jasprit Bumrah’s availability in Eng vs Ind 5th Test

It means that both the injured pacers, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep, who were ruled out of the encounters, have regained their fitness. It was a heavy workload for Bumrah, who bowled 33 overs in their lone innings with the ball. The eyes will also be on Mohammed Siraj, who looked tired by the end of the innings.

‘If he (Bumrah) feels like he's fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us. If he's not playing, I still think we have the right kind of bowling attack.’ India’s captain, Shubman Gill, said to the BBC. A victory in South London will mean that it will draw the series 2-2.

India is currently in the fourth position in the WTC points table with a PCT of 33.33, while England is just over them in the ladder with 54.17. Rishabh Pant, the wicket-keeper and batter, has already been ruled out of the fifth and final game of the series, as the management has called N Jagadeesan for the Oval Test.