ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 Stage: Former India batter Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to the criticism the ICC has faced recently since the two groups of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage were confirmed. As per the pre-seeding format, the teams that topped the standings in their respective groups were put in the same pool, while the runners-up were in the other. The result of such a pairing means the teams that performed the best were put in the 'Group of Death' while the teams that came second best now find themselves playing against sides who aren't in the best of form.
Amid all the talk around the topic, Gavaskar shared his opinion on the matter, saying it's worthless to raise such a question now. Notably, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies were drawn in Group A of the Super 8, whereas New Zealand, Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka made it to Group 2.
"Why bring this up now? Why was this not brought up before the start of the tournament? Those are the questions that need to be asked of the people who are raising these points now. The reason that I can think of, maybe the ICC can explain it better, is that the logistics, the tournament is being played in two countries," Gavaskar told India Today.
Backing ICC's decision to have teams 'pre-seeded' because of the complexity of the schedule, Gavaskar went on to mention that the global body had plenty to consider - including hotel bookings, travel, visa and customs clearance.
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"There's international travel, there's immigration, and there's customs, all those things to be taken care of. There is still the question of airline and hotel bookings; not every team travels with the same number of people. Some teams travel with a support staff team of 15, so maybe they need 35-40 rooms. Some teams may travel with 20-22 people altogether, so they may need fewer rooms. All these things need to be taken into account, and perhaps this is the reason why the pre-seeding took place," he added.
What Is the reason behind criticism of T20 World Cup Super 8 Pre-Seeding format?
The controversy has emerged around the ICC's decision to determine the Super 8 groups based on pre-tournament rankings rather than actual group-stage performance. In the T20 World Cup 2026, this format has resulted in a massive competitive imbalance -- all four group winners (India, Zimbabwe, West Indies, and South Africa) have been bunched into Group 1, while Group 2 consists entirely of runners-up (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, and New Zealand).
As per this format, the top-performing teams are forced to eliminate one another early, while teams that finished second enjoy a theoretically easier path to the semi-finals. The ICC defends the move as a logistical necessity to help broadcasters and organisers lock in travel, venues, and "prime-time" match schedules months in advance.