T20 World Cup 2026: Top 5 moments of the tournament

The T20 World Cup 2026 proved to be a roaring success. Jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the tournament saw a close to full house in all the matches in both countries, with the crowd cheering on their home teams and the respective favorites.

India barely scraped into the semi-finals after a dominant showing in the group stage, and so did New Zealand. South Africa and the West Indies, who were dominant in the group and Super 8s stages, were eliminated on the brink of qualification for the final.

Associate nations soared with some amazing performances and gained a lot of fan following, particularly in India. So today, we take a look at 5 of the top moments from the T20 World Cup.

Top 5 moments of the T20 World Cup 2026 tournament:

5. Nepal almost defeats England

Nepal had an amazing start to their tournament in the T20 World Cup 2026. Facing bigwigs and 2022 T20 champions England in Mumbai, Nepal saw England batting first after winning the toss. Thanks to fifties by Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook, England posted 184/7 in 20 overs. Nepal’s bowling impressed, with Dipendra Airee taking 2 wickets.

No one gave Nepal a chance, but they kept the chase within touching distance. Kushal Bhurtel (29), captain Rohit Paudel (39), and Airee (44) kept Nepal in the chase. Things got close when Nepal scored 14 runs in the 19th over and left only 10 for the win. However, Sam Curran bowled an excellent over to give England a win by 4 runs. Nepal’s brilliant performance was lauded by the Mumbai crowd.

4. Zimbabwe defeating Australia

Zimbabwe and Australia met in a crucial match in Colombo with important points to play for. Australia elected to bowl first after winning the toss, and Zimbabwe, thanks to 64* by Brian Bennett and 35 each by Tadiwanashe Marumani and Ryan Burl, posted 169/2 in 20 overs.

In response, Zimbabwe's bowling completely overshadowed Australia's famed batting. Matt Renshaw made 66, and Glenn Maxwell scored 35, as Australia's batting struggled against disciplined Zimbabwe bowling. Australia only managed 146 runs and lost to Zimbabwe by 23 runs. This was Australia’s second loss to Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cups after the 2007 edition. Thanks to this result, Australia failed to qualify for the Super 8s stage.

3. The USA almost defeats India in Mumbai

The Indian team was supposed to dominate the proceedings when they faced the USA in their tournament opener in Mumbai. Opting to bat first, India was supposed to post a huge total, but Shadley van Schalkwyk took 4 wickets to rattle the famed Indian batting, reducing them to 77/6. Only Captain Suryakumar’s 84* took India to 161/9.

The USA gave the chase a good effort with Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Shuham Ranjane making 37 each. However, Indian bowling proved to be too good as the USA was restricted to 132/8, losing by 29 runs.

2. Italy defeats Nepal to win their first T20 World Cup match

Italy played their maiden T20 World Cup tournament and registered their first win as well. They faced Nepal in Mumbai, looking for their first win. Italy chose to field first, and their bowling proved to be devastating. Nepal was bowled out for 123 runs, with leggie Crishan Kalugamage taking three wickets.

Then Italian openers, brothers Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca, hammered the Nepal bowling, scoring 60* and 62*, respectively. Italy achieved the target in 12.4 overs and won the game by 10 wickets, much to the team's joy, and received a standing ovation from the crowd.   

1. South Africa and Afghanistan play a double super over

One of the best moments from the T20 World Cup 2026 was the match between South Africa and Afghanistan that was played in Ahmedabad. South Africa, after being invited to bat first, posted 187/6 thanks to fifties by Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton, while Azmatullah Omarzai took 3 wickets. Afghanistan was stopped at the same score by Proteas bowling, despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 84. The match ended in a tie, and a super over was played.

The first over, Afghanistan made 17 runs with Omarzai making 10*. South Africa also made 17, with Tristan Stubbs scoring 10* in 3 balls. Another super over was played, with South Africa batting first. David Miller hammered 16* as the Proteas made 23 runs.

Afghanistan crumbled under pressure despite Gurbaz’s 3 sixes in 4 balls, as they only managed 19 runs and lost the super over and points.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky365 and download the Sky365 App to start betting today!