"They’ll be hard to beat": Ricky Ponting snubs Australia, names his T20 World Cup 2026 winner

Ricky Ponting has handed Australia a reality check ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which begins this Saturday (Feb 7) in India and Sri Lanka. Coming off a series loss against Pakistan (0-3) in Pakistan, Australia is in Group B alongside the tournament’s co-host, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Oman and Ireland. Although they still boast several A-listers and match winners, Punter feels they are as good as anyone but not among the favourites for the T20 title. Ponting handpicked the defending champions, India, to lift the T20 World Cup this year.

Meanwhile, Australia will enter this 20-team tournament without Pat Cummins, who continues to recover from a back injury that aggravated following the third Test in Adelaide during the Ashes. Besides him, the lack of depth in the middle order, despite having veterans Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, and even Tim David, could hurt Australia on the subcontinent pitches, something Ponting is aware of. Also, Steve Smith’s absence makes the batting look more fragile for the former winners.

Without talking much about his side’s chances of pushing above their weight and winning a tournament with a lesser-experienced squad at the helm, Ponting said, “If you look at the squad, I think they have as good a chance as anybody.”

Commenting on which team he thinks is heads and shoulders ahead of them all, Ponting said, “India probably start as the clear favourites because of the conditions, the talent and the group of players they have put together. They’ll be hard to beat. But I really do think we’ll see Australia there come semi-final time,” he added while chatting with the ICC.

Meanwhile, Australia begins its T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on February 11, with Sri Lanka hosting all its group games.

Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad -

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Travelling reserve: Sean Abbott