T20 World Cup watch list: five players

The United States and the West Indies will host the most recent men's competition.

The United States and Canada, the tournament co-hosts, will play each other in Dallas on Saturday to kick off the T20 World Cup. The worldwide T20 tournament has switched to a 20-team structure, which keeps the traditional favourites in the race for the trophy while providing an opportunity for associate or lower-ranked nations at the highest level.

Among the more than 250 players in the United States and the Caribbean are co-hosting are the majority of cricket's greatest names.

These are five players, either established or up-and-coming, to keep an eye on:

Phil Salt

After making waves in his first T20 series against the West Indies in January 2022 with a strike rate of 193.54, Salt duplicated the feat when England visited the Caribbean in December of the same year. Throughout five T20s, he amassed a score of 185.95, including consecutive hundreds. He takes Alex Hales' spot at the top of England's T20 order, which is a difficult task considering that Hales and captain Jos Buttler were instrumental in the team's 2022 championship run.

For over a year following their triumph in Australia, England was the holder of the two main limited-overs cricket trophies in the globe. That came to an end last year when Australia defeated the host nation, India, in the 50-over World Cup final, forcing England to give up the crown. Salt's current form suggests he could help England gain ground. In 12 IPL games in 2024, he amassed 435 runs for the Kolkata Knight Riders, helping pave the way for KKR's third championship run.

Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah has emerged as the top T20 bowler in the world since making his debut in 2016. Even with his rapid speed, he hasn't been able to assist in winning the T20 World Cup, which his nation so much wants—India last won the competition in 2007. He was injured, therefore he was also absent from the 2022 edition.

Bumrah, however, still has age on his side and enters the competition with both form and fitness this time. Throughout the most recent Indian Premier League season, he took 20 wickets at an economy of 6.48 and an average of 16.80 in 12 games. It demonstrated to the fullest extent possible how Bumrah, as the most potent pace threat in international T20, bowls in this format. But as the Mumbai Indians' last-place IPL finish showed, he cannot accomplish it alone.

Heinrich Klaasen

When it comes to big-hitting, Klaasen is comparable to India's top-ranked T20 batting player, Suryakumar Yadav. What matters more than official rankings is the erratic yet brilliant style in which these two hitters find common ground. While Klaasen is more conventional but more than makes up for it in power, Yadav is more flashy in his choice of shots.

With a strike rate of 158.93 against spin and rising to 196.42 towards the conclusion of a team's inning against both spin and pace, Klaasen is very skilled against spin. He proved this in the 2024 Indian Premier League by hitting spinners at 181.36. Klaasen's contributions could also help South Africa break its World Cup drought, as spin is anticipated to play a crucial role in the tournament's second stage.

Rachin Ravindra

The youthful batsman stormed the 50-over format at the 2023 World Cup. Combining the initial names of India's two greatest batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Ravindra amassed 578 runs in ten games, leading New Zealand's drive to the semifinals. On his World Cup debut against the reigning champion England, he struck a century and seemed at ease under duress.

In addition, he is a useful left-arm spinner, which helped New Zealand balance its playing eleven in India and will be useful in the Caribbean in the even shorter format. The Black Caps will be looking for a World Cup repeat performance after Ravindra enhanced his T20 expertise with Chennai Super Kings in the most recent IPL, making 222 runs at a strike rate of 160.86.

Nicholas Pooran

Pooran is now the top T20 export from the West Indies, having competed in the Big Bash, the Indian Premier League, the SA20, the PSL, the UAE T10, the Bangladesh Premier League, and, of course, the Caribbean Premier League. Taking up the mantle from players such as Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle, he has made a name for himself in franchise leagues all over the world.

After leading MI Emirates to the ILT20 championship in February and showcasing strong hitting for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2024, Pooran is coming off a strong few months of T20 cricket. In an attempt to make up for their 2022 first-round T20 elimination and 2023 ODI World Cup loss, the Caribbean team, the West Indies, will have him as their star batter in their home T20 World Cup.