Rabada Warns Against Calling Any Team Favorite in T20 World Cup 2026

South African star pacer Kagiso Rabada has dismissed all speculations that called India the favorites to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He said the tournament is wide open, as the nature of the format is highly unpredictable. Rabada believes South Africa is equally capable of lifting the trophy, as the team has many top-quality performers.

"You cannot say that there's a favourite in this tournament. I think it's up for grabs. Anyone can take it. We'll be putting our hand up for that for sure. I'm not too sure what's going on in the Indian camp. This tournament is right open," said Kagiso Rabada while talking to the media.

Speaking about the Indian surfaces that are totally batting-friendly, Rabada said that scoring big runs in the country is easy because the grounds are small and the ball comes onto the bat nicely. However, he cautioned that matches in ICC events are not always high scoring, so the impact of good bowling cannot be completely ruled out.

"It's India, there are small grounds, the ball skids on and when dew comes, it makes it even worse. But in ICC events, from what I've seen, not all games will be high scoring.” said Kagiso Rabada.

“You'll get venues that will be high scoring from time to time, but I don't think all pitches would be that way. Especially in ICC events, you'll see that there will be something for the bowlers every now and then." added Kagiso Rabada.

He then said that many overseas players already understand the conditions of India because of playing IPL. Therefore, he expects everyone to adjust their game accordingly by utilizing the prior knowledge.

"A lot of overseas players who have played in the IPL are not as foreign to the conditions as they might have been in the past. That's what the leagues have done. The guys are really in tune with the conditions." said Kagiso Rabada