Aakash Chopra, former Indian opening batsman, believes Hardik Pandya will be the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the 2026 T20 World Cup. Chopra expects Indian players to shine as top run-scorers and leading wicket-takers during the tournament.
The 10th T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, featuring 20 teams competing for the title. The tournament kicks off on February 7 and wraps up on March 9. In Group A, India will face Namibia, Pakistan, the Netherlands, and the USA. The top two teams from the group will move on to the Super Eight stage.
Chopra expressed confidence in Indian players performing well, highlighting their batting and bowling skills. He predicts Abhishek Sharma as the top run-scorer and Varun Chakaravarthy as the standout player, but he sees Hardik Pandya as the MVP of the tournament.
Chopra also believes Australia will present the toughest challenge for India, describing the West Indies team as an unexpected contender. He views the Netherlands as the associate nation likely to perform best overall.
As the defending champions, India won the previous T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. However, Chopra feels the current team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, is even stronger than the previous championship-winning squad.
Aakash Chopra stated, “T20 Cricket has been unpredictable, but given this Indian team’s performance over the past two and a half years, they are an upgraded version of the World Cup-winning team.”
Chopra acknowledged the challenges of defending the World Cup title, noting that while playing at home offers slight advantages, the Men in Blue remain the strongest team in the tournament, in his opinion.