Group C Out To Shake Up T20 World Cup With Big Performance Stars

- By Meenakshi Rao

New Delhi: Group C is the only group in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to house two two-time champions, which makes it both competitive and interesting. The presence of England and West Indies alongside European debutant Italy, Nepal and Scotland opens doors to intense meet-ups in venues across India and Sri Lanka.

For now, Group C will be kicking off its Group stage campaign on the opening day as part of a thrilling triple header with Scotland taking on the West Indies in Kolkata, even as India take on the USA in Mumbai under the lights and Pakistan clash with the Netherlands during the day at Colombo.

England, who announced their squad later than usual, come into the competition with a lot of firepower, experience and hope to make it to the Cup lifting ceremony for the third time and create history, this time in difficult subcontinental conditions.

Scotland, in the tournament riding on Bangladesh’s boycott, will make their seventh appearance, while Nepal will work for results for the third time after appearing in 2014 and 2024.

As for Italy, the soccer nation will become the 25th national team to feature at an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with the Europeans set to make their debut.

England

Explosive batsman Harry Brook will be leading the side with a pedigree of class. Just 27 and a debut in 2022, Brook is a modern, all-format star for England who dominates with the bat in Test matches and scores vertically in white ball cricket. He will be helming the only side to have reached at least the semi-finals of the last four tournaments.

Brook’s Indian adventure will be aided and abetted by fierce quicks like Jofra Archer, who has put his injuries back at the right time to reveal his blistering pace, even as the guile and strike of Adil Rashid, the wily leg spinner, will threaten oppositions as always. The 37-year-old has taken at least one wicket in the last 22 T20I matches in which he has bowled, the third-longest streak in history.

Then there is Sam Curran, Player of the Tournament in 2022, whose arsenal lies in both bat and ball. Buoyed after taking England’s second-ever T20I hat-trick only last month, Curran will be one of the men to watch out for. When one talks of power hitting the law of association takes you to Jacob Bethell and his ability build and anchor an innings dangerously fast.

World No 2 and four-ranked batters Phil Salt and Jos Buttler need no introduction.

Italy

Think Italy, think football — that’s the perception that the Italians will be playing against as the only debutants at this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup having qualified in second place in the 2025 Europe Regional Final.

Gli Azzurri beat Group C rivals Scotland in the Regional Final to help book their place in India and Sri Lanka. Harry Manenti was the star of the show that day as he took five for 31 during the tense 12-run win, and he will no doubt be out to repeat such feats this month.

Italy will be led by 42-year-old Wayne Madsen, a stalwart of the English county circuit, who has recently impressed with 61 not out against Ireland ahead of the tournament.

Nepal

Former Australian international Stuart Law is head coach of a Nepal side who will be relishing the opportunity of mixing it with some of the best players in the world. Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh were their country’s highest scoring T20 players in 2025 with 509 and 394 runs respectively.

The former is just one of five Nepalese players to hit a T20I century and hit a blistering 92 not out against the USA in 2024. Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee is also a T20I centurion, while Sandeep Lamichhane was Nepal’s leading wicket taker with 21 scalps last year.

Scotland

In the tournament with a stroke of luck, Scotland will be making the most of their sudden entry into the summit meet as a replacement for Bangladesh.

This will be their fifth consecutive appearance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, having last missed out in 2014.

With 2021 high of making it to the Super 12 as an associate nation, their best World Cup showing, the Scots will be playing with ambitions of upsetting one of the Test-playing nations in Group C and progressing to the Super 8s.

Scotland’s fortunes will rest on key players stepping up, of which Brandon McMullen is one.

The 26-year-old has seven international fifties to his name, with three of those coming against Australia in 2024, including a brilliant 60 at the last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in a close defeat. Veteran captain Richie Berrington will offer Scotland loads of experience and has a T20I century to his name.

Mark Watt, sat on 89 T20I wickets, could prove a tricky prospect for teams, and a strong tournament for the spinner could see him reach the 100-wicket landmark.

West Indies

After dominating the ICC Men’s T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2016, Carlos Brathwaite’s legendary exploits at Eden Gardens mark the last time the West Indies featured in a Men’s T20 World Cup knockout match.

In the home run in 2024, they suffered a Super 8 exit, which will make them adequately desperate to redeem their presence under coach Daren Sammy.

It is to their credit that Shimron Hetmyer, much like our very own Surya Kumar Yadav, has hit form at just the right time. He recorded impressive knocks against South Africa and Afghanistan.

Skipper Shai Hope’s calming influence and first T20I century – from the top of the order last summer against Australia- shows him up as a twin asset leading the team. A captain’s knock when required would be the icing on the cake for the Windies.

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