The T20 World Cup is set to ignite with unprecedented intensity as India stand as formidable favourites in a tournament already marked by controversy and a dramatic acceleration in scoring rates across global cricket.
A New Era of Explosive Cricket
Since the last World Cup concluded with India's victory over South Africa in Barbados, the game has shifted into what observers describe as a fresh and exhilarating gear. The statistics reveal a remarkable transformation: in just 21 T20 internationals during the opening month of this year, a staggering 6,960 runs were scored at an average rate of 9.13 runs per over. This represents a massively higher scoring rate than any previous year in the format's history.
England have been at the forefront of this batting revolution, scoring at 9.91 runs per over during 2025 – their best ever figure. Among Test-playing nations, only Bangladesh, Australia, and West Indies failed to either break their run-scoring records in 2025 or establish themselves on course to achieve that milestone this year.
Domestic Leagues Mirror International Trend
The batting strike rate record in the Indian Premier League has been successively broken in 2023, 2024, and again in 2025. While this year's Big Bash figure showed a slight decrease from last year's record, it remained above every other previous season. The 2025 tournaments rank second in Pakistan's PSL and the Caribbean Premier League, while claiming top positions in Bangladesh's BPL and England's domestic Blast competition.
Perhaps most tellingly, six of the seven highest T20 international totals ever recorded have been posted since the previous World Cup. England's monumental 304 for two against South Africa at Old Trafford in September only manages third place on that prestigious list.
India's Formidable Advantage
Despite the format's inherent unpredictability, where matches can turn on a couple of key moments and often hinge on fortune, India have developed such overwhelming quality that they appear to have removed luck from the equation entirely. Since their World Cup final triumph, India have contested 41 T20 matches, suffering just six defeats while securing 31 victories. Their home record is particularly imposing, with 14 wins from 17 encounters.
The emergence of Abhishek Sharma exemplifies India's strength in depth. When India contested the June 2024 final, Sharma had yet to make his international debut. Now, as the tournament approaches, he stands as the world's number one batter – the hottest property in global cricket. Despite recording two ducks in five innings during January, Sharma amassed 182 runs at an average of 45.5, facing just 73 balls. His remarkable 14-ball half-century against New Zealand in Guwahati demonstrated his destructive capabilities.
England's Resurgence Amid Challenges
Behind India's dominance, England have emerged as the next most impressive major nation since the beginning of last year – an achievement made more remarkable by what observers describe as its rather unimpressive manner of accomplishment. After securing series victory in Sri Lanka with a win in the second match at Kandy, England had won 10 of their previous 17 games while scoring at 9.86 runs per over, marginally exceeding even India's rate of 9.73.
The 2022 champions benefit from knowing they cannot face either India or Australia until the semi-final stage at the earliest, providing a potential pathway through the tournament's latter stages.
Tournament Controversies and Complications
The competition's build-up has been overshadowed by significant controversies. Bangladesh's absence, announced just weeks before the tournament's commencement after they refused to play in India, has created an early stain on the event's reputation. Compounding matters, Pakistan's government has ordered their team not to play the fixture that would have required travel to Sri Lanka on 15 February, potentially depriving the tournament of cricket's most high-profile and lucrative encounter.
The International Cricket Council's response to these developments included assertions that "the fundamental premise of a global sporting event is all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule" and that "ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness." Critics have pointed to previous decisions, such as predetermining that India would play their 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final in Guyana because its timing better suited television viewers back home, as evidence that sporting integrity has sometimes been sacrificed for broadcasting considerations.
Expanded Format and New Participants
This edition represents the biggest T20 World Cup yet, with 20 teams scheduled to contest 54 matches – Pakistan versus India would have constituted a 55th. Italy make their tournament debut, bolstered by recruits from across the Italian diaspora and those with familial connections. Former South Africa international JJ Smuts secured his passport through marriage to someone whose great-grandfather was born in Italy. While progression from their group appears unlikely, Italy can dream of topping it temporarily if they can overcome Scotland – as they did in European qualifiers in The Hague last July – and perhaps also Nepal, whom they have never previously faced.
As cricket enthusiasts prepare for five weeks of what promises to be faster, more furious, and more epically senseless action than ever before, the tournament stands at a crossroads between India's apparent invincibility and the chaotic, unpredictable nature that has come to define the shortest format of the international game.
