India will look to defend their T20 World Cup title in the upcoming edition at home and in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the T20 World Cup 2026 will not be watched by anyone.
Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has warned the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the T20 World Cup 2026 will fail to garner viewership due to the continuous scheduling of the global tournaments one after the other.
Ashwin, who played for India from 2010 to 2024, highlighted how the scheduling of India’s matches in the T20 World Cup will ‘pull’ the viewers away. “No one is going to watch the ICC T20 World Cup this time. India vs USA, India vs. Namibia – these are games that will literally pull you away from the World Cup. World Cups used to happen once every four years. Because of that, the interest is used to build. India used to play England or Sri Lanka in the first round, and that was a lot more fun,” said Ashwin in a video on his YouTube Channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Ashwin recalls scheduling of ICC events during his time was great
Meanwhile, the spin-bowling all-rounder also recalled how the scheduling of global tournaments during his childhood used to build the ‘anticipation’ naturally.
โBack in 1996, 1999 and 2003, when I was in school, the World Cup came once every four years. We collected World Cup cards, printed schedules and waited for it. That anticipation used to build naturally,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin has doubts over future of ODI format
With T20Is being the format to sell cricket, ODIs have taken a back seat, while Test cricket revolves around the Big Three or Four. Meanwhile, Ashwin has doubts over the future of the ODI format after the ODI World Cup 2027.
“I am not sure about the future of ODI after the 2027 World Cup. I am a little worried about it. Of course, I am following the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but the manner in which I followed the SMAT, I am finding it slightly difficult to follow,” Ashwin said.
“Look, Rohit and Virat came back to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and people started watching it. We have known that sport is always bigger than individuals, but at times these players need to come back to make the game relevant. The Vijay Hazare Trophy, of course, is a domestic competition that not a lot of people follow, but they did because Kohli and Rohit were playing. Even then, what happens when they stop playing ODIs?” he added.