Long viewed as their most preferred format, West Indies have had a bumpy ride in T20Is since the last edition of the World Cup which they co-hosted with USA. They lost Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell to retirement besides embracing a captaincy switch that saw Shai Hope take over the reins in this period. But while the two-time champions have shown signs of being competitive in their most recent endeavours, a lot has to go right if they are to lift a third Men's T20 World Cup crown in the subcontinent.

The squad, and what it tells us

Shai Hope (c), Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Roston Chase, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Quentin Sampson

Twelve of the fifteen players picked for this edition of the T20 World Cup were also part of the initial squad for the 2024 edition with two of them - King and Holder - eventually being replaced at different stages back then due to injury. Despite a torrid 2025 in the format, there is a fair bit of continuity and experience to fall back upon for West Indies. Batter Quentin Sampson is the one greenhorn in the squad, although skipper Hope has dubbed him "one of the cleaner ball strikers that I've seen in a long time".

As is often the case with a West Indian T20 outfit, this side too is packed with six-hitters aplenty, although cohesion and adapting to sluggish surfaces in the second half of the tournament remains a big question mark. The bowling unit arguably lacks teeth, however, evidenced by South Africa razing down a target of 222 in 17.3 overs in Centurion in the build-up to the tournament. Jason Holder's stellar 2025 with the ball must inevitably spill over into the marquee event, while for a second World Cup running, the lack of a wrist-spinner sticks out like a sore thumb.