Sanjay Bangar reveals three Indian players to watch out for in T20 WC 2026; leaves out Hardik Pandya

Former Indian coach and presenter Sanjay Bangar has predicted three Indian players who would play a pivotal role in India’s journey to defend the ICC T20 World Cup title in the showpiece event.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, Bangar stated that the opening batter Ishan Kishan would be his first player to watch out for, considering the lack of runs from Abhishek Sharma’s willow in the group stage.

While Abhishek Sharma struggled to put up a run on the board in the three group stage games, Ishan Kishan was the wrecker-in-chief against the arch-rivals Pakistan, winning the player of the match award.

"From here on, three players who are going to be extremely critical to India's journey in this T20 World Cup are going to be men in form, and that's where I feel Ishan Kishan, the way he has been batting. Considering the lack of runs from Abhishek Sharma, the onus now falls on Ishan Kishan to give those explosive starts. That is player number one," Sanjay Bangar said on Star Sports.

Furthermore, he has picked the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and the ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as his second and third players to watch out for. Notably, India remained unbeaten in the group stage with four consecutive wins.

"Player number two is Suryakumar Yadav. He has scored runs in most of the games on a consistent basis, understanding the situation of the game. The third player is going to be Jasprit Bumrah," Bangar observed.

"Everybody is talking about the spin aspect of this Indian team, but I believe that Jasprit Bumrah is going to hold the key when the match is on the line as far as bowling is concerned," he added.

India will next lock horns with South Africa in their first Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.

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