T20 World Cup: Sunil Gavaskar's Clear Reply To Those Questioning ICC Over Super 8 Format
Sunil Gavaskar found it baffling to question ICC's pre-seeding model for T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s at this stage of the tournament.
- The T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 groups were pre-seeded based on rankings, not performance
- All four group winners were placed in the same "Group of Death" pool for Super 8 stage
- Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar defended ICC citing logistical issues like travel and hotel bookings
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is facing plenty of flak on social media ever since the two groups of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage were confirmed. Because of the pre-seeding format, all 4 group winners 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 who came second best now find themselves playing against sides who aren't in the best of form. Amid the chatter around the topic, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar shared his opinion on the matter, saying it's worthless to raise such a question now.
"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 said that the top board had plenty to consider - including hotel bookings, travel, visa and customs clearance - before they came to the conclusion that teams should be 'pre-seeded'.
"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 T20 World Cup Super 8 Pre-Seeding Row?
The controversy refers to a growing discontent regarding the ICC's decision to determine the Super 8 groups based on pre-tournament rankings rather than actual group-stage performance. In the 2026 edition, this system 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).
Critics argue this "punishes excellence" because 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.
Sunil Gavaskar