The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins this weekend with the West Indies participating in one of three fixtures scheduled for the opening day on 7 February. 

The Windies take on Scotland – the team who are the last minute replacements for Bangladesh after they decided to boycott the tournament following the refusal by the sport’s governing body to switch the venue of the fixture from India to co-hosting country Sr Lanka. 

The game will be played at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata. 

The Bangladeshi’s cited safety concerns amid growing tensions between the countries as their reason for the request, but the International Cricket Council stated that there was an “absence of any credible security threat” and were keen not to establish “precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events”.

The rest of Group C

As well as Scotland, joining Daren Sammy’s squad in Group C are England, Nepal and surprise package Italy. 

The West Indies will probably be pleased to play England in their second match on 11 February knowing that they should still have it in their own hands to progress, even if they suffer defeat against what (on paper) appears to be the strongest side in the group. 

Nepal are up third on 15 February, before wrapping up the group stage against Italy on 19 February.

Squad picked to meet demands

Cricket West Indies (CWI) have taken a 15-member squad which they said was selected “after a thorough assessment, aiming to form a team that competes consistently at the highest level and adapts to subcontinental demands.”

Head Coach Sammy insisted that the squad is well balanced with extensive experience, and “a touch of mystery”. He made the point that they have the “X-factor where it counts” with hungry newcomers pushing the seasoned heads, making it a group ready to fight and “make the region proud.”

Sammy believes they have come up with the best squad to succeed in India and Sri Lanka and go on to achieve their goal.

Skipper in confident mood

Shai Hope will captain the side and he expressed confidence in the group. “World Cups are special, and as a player you want to play on the biggest stages possible,” the now 32-year-old said.

Continuing, he added: “This is an experienced group of players, we are no strangers to playing in these conditions, we’ve got plenty of power and skill in the batting and quality bowlers who can adapt to conditions on any given day to help us compete and win matches consistently.”

Balance is key

In this format all-rounders can play a massive part and it is noticeable that the squad is packed with those types of players. 

This will allow them to bat deeper, while also retaining variety in their bowling attack. The likes of Romario Shepherd – who is an excellent outlet during the death overs – Jason Holder, Roston Chase, and Matthew Forde provide the two-time champions with a lot of flexibility and variety. 

The batting depth allows the power hitters such as Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford the license to attack from the very beginning of their innings and Quentin Sampson – who made everyone take notice in the Caribbean Premier League 2025 – is an exciting inclusion. Gudakesh Motie also rejoins the squad bringing with him the ability to take wickets especially in the middle overs.

West Indies Squad for the ICC T20 World Cup:

Shai Hope (Captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, and Romario Shepherd.

No easy matches

The World Cup 2026 will feature 20 teams in four groups of five teams each playing the other the one time. The other nations are drawn as follows:

Group A: India, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan, USA

Group B: Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe

Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United Arab Emirates

Last 8 minimum requirement

The first target for the West Indies will be to make it through to the Super 8s, where they will hope build on any form and confidence from the group stage and mount a serious challenge for at least a semi final berth. 

India favourites

With home conditions as a definite advantage, India are clear favourites to retain the title they won back in 2024, with Australia, England and South Africa the other teams ranked highest in the early betting.

However, the unpredictable nature of this form of cricket ensures that the majority of matches could easily go either way. 

The final will take place on Sunday, 8 March in Ahmedabad, unless Pakistan qualify, under which circumstance the game would be moved to Colombo.