'No One is Going to Watch 2026 T20 World Cup': R. Ashwin Gives ICC Reality Check

T20 World Cup 2026: R. Ashwin may have left the game, but he follows it regularly and his understanding of the game is better than most. 

With a little over a month to go for the much-awaited T20 World Cup, Ashwin has made a tall claims. 

Ashwin believes no one will watch the marquee event. He said there is a huge divide in the quality of cricket played by teams. 

He cited the example of matches like India versus USA and also matches like India versus Namibia. He also highlighted that the novelty factor is lost when you have a World Cup in every two years. 

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‘No one is going to watch ICC T20 World Cup’

Ashwin said on his YouTube channel: "No one is going to watch ICC T20 World Cup, this time. India vs USA, India vs Namibia... these are games that will literally pull you away from the World Cup. World Cup used to happen once every four years. And because of that, that interest used to build. And India used to take on England, Sri Lanka in the first round. And that used to be a lot more fun."

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T20 World Cup 2026 

A total of 20 teams will be competing in the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, which begins on 7 February. 

The tournament would be hosted by India, Sri Lanka. 

India would start as defending champions and they would also be firm favourites to win the crown consecutively. 

Most participating teams have already announced their preliminary squads for the marquee event. 

The event starts from February 7 and on the opening night, hosts India will take on the USA. 

There are five groups, featuring five teams each.