ICC T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announced; India to kick-off campaign against Pakistan on Oct 24

After a long wait, the ICC Men's T20 World looks set to begin on October 17 in UAE and Oman. The Super 12 groups were announced beforehand, with arch-rivals India and Pakistan being drawn in Group 2. While the names of 8 teams are known, 8 other teams will vie for the remaining four spots in the qualifiers.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the schedule for the 2021 T20 World Cup which is being hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Oman and UAE. The ICC had already divided the qualified teams into four groups. The groups were divided on the basis of the ICC T20 Team Rankings as of 20 March 2021. In the Super 12s, the India National Cricket Team is placed in Group B alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan. In Group A, England, Australia, South Africa, and West Indies will compete for the knockout rounds.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are unarguably the two biggest sides in the qualifiers but they couldn't qualify for the Super 12 directly. While these two teams are the favorites to go through, anything can happen when it comes to the shortest format of the game.

The Super 12 groups at present are:

Group 1: West Indies, England, Australia, and South Africa (two more teams to be decided)

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan (two more teams to be decided)