Five young guns set for superstardom at the T20 World Cup

No ICC tournament is run and won without the unexpected surprise of breakout talent announcing themselves with suddenness and exhilaration, in equal parts.

Perhaps their own teams and coaches are predicting their arrival, but not necessarily the broader public.

One of the most enjoyable parts of sporting fandom is watching the journey of players as they start to ascend and stand out. And those fans that are there and invested from those early career stages are more likely to be invested for the long term; in for the long haul.

This ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is as ready as any previous edition to unearth a fresh crop of world class talents that are set to be familiar mainstays on the cricketing scene for many World Cup cycles to come.

We’ve seen them in glimpses of varying shapes and sizes, but the brightness of the spotlight that is present at the T20 World Cup is about to catapult a new wave of prospects into the big time.

Here are some of the young guns ready to raise the roof in India and Sri Lanka.

Young guns to watch at the T20 World Cup

Jacob Bethell (England)

23-year-old batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell has already begun putting the cricketing world on notice. Only last month he scored a maiden Test ton in Sydney, a 154 in England’s second innings of the Ashes finale. It was a knock that sparked renewed life into a game the Aussies had control of. The professionalism he showed was next level.

Bethell’s skillset suits the game’s shortest format, oozing the style and class it takes to compete against the world’s best, with his T20I strike rate pushing 150 off 21 innings. The left-hander will complement Powerplay pair Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, rounding off the English’s formidable top order.

Tilak Varma (India)

Varma is the most acclaimed name on this list, currently ranked fourth for T20I batting. The stylish southpaw has completed his return from lower abdominal surgery in the nick of time, back in the selection mix for a stacked India.

The 23-year-old has made it through two tournament warm-up games and displayed glimpses of his best, scoring a combined 83 runs off 43 balls in his two knocks.

Since debuting in 2023, he’s played in 40 T20 Internationals and averages a staggering 49.29 from 37 innings, including two tons - both in South Africa - and six fifties.

The Hyderabad product strikes at 144 and is set to put on a show alongside India’s scintillating top order.

Dewald Brevis (South Africa)

Such is the talent and hype, this 22-year-old South African doubles up after also appearing in our Five Batters to Watch piece.

The Johannesburg product has played 21 T20I innings and is keeping pace with some of the most rapid scorers the game has ever seen (a 171.32 strike rate).

His 125* off 56 balls in Australia last year is the fourth-highest T20I score of all time.

Brevis can play all the shots and might just hold the key for a South African side that came oh-so close to T20 World Cup glory last time.

Sediqullah Atal (Afghanistan)

The emergence of this Afghanistan top order batter may well prove complete the team’s meteoric rise to permanent contender.

Making it all the way to the semi-final at the last edition of this tournament, a new wave of talent adds more pieces to the puzzle for this mighty team, highlighted by Atal.

The 24-year-old will join the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to form a richly talented Powerplay trio that will undoubtedly do some damage in the subcontinent. Atal is coming off a recent fifty against the West Indies which is sure to boost his confidence heading into the T20 World Cup.

He plays for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

Cooper Connolly (Australia)

There are storylines following Australia’s 22-year-old heading into the T20 World Cup. The West Australian’s talent is undeniable, but the pressure to perform is mounting.

Connolly last year shared Player of the Tournament honours in Australia’s domestic Big Bash League with Glenn Maxwell and there are some striking similarities between the pair, looking at their crafty finger spin and clean ball striking.

The concern though, heading into this tournament, is his record at international level. From nine games and five innings, he only has 14 international runs. Connolly struggled with the bat in Australia’s recent three-game series in Pakistan.

Thankfully for his sake though, Connolly’s handy left-arm orthodox bowling should ensure that the selection opportunities continue, particularly at the World Cup’s spin-friendly venues.

He is due to break out and make a major announcement, it’s just a matter of when, not if.

Special mentions

These two young guns also deserve some recognition on the eve of the tournament.

Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett (22) scored a hundred and three fifties to help his nation clinch qualification. That form has hung around in glimpses more recently against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

And Canada’s Yuvraj Samra (19), one of the youngest players at the T20 World Cup, is a talent to behold, averaging 36.83 across 15 T20I innings. He scores at a strike rate of 160 and already possesses three half-centuries in the format.