Gavaskar Silences ICC Super 8 Critics: ‘Why Was This Not Raised Before The Tournament?’
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has come out in defence of the International Cricket Council (ICC) amid growing criticism over the Super 8 groupings at the T20 World Cup 2026, asserting that it makes little sense to raise concerns about the format now that the tournament is already underway.
The ICC has faced a wave of backlash on social media ever since the Super 8 groups were announced. Due to the pre-seeding format where groups are determined by pre-tournament rankings rather than actual group-stage results all four group winners have been placed in Group 1. That means India, Zimbabwe, West Indies, and South Africa are all in the same pool, while Group 2 comprises runners-up Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, and New Zealand.
Critics have labelled Group 1 a “Group of Death,” arguing the system effectively punishes the best-performing teams by forcing them to face each other, while second-placed sides benefit from a comparatively easier route to the semi-finals.
Gavaskar, however, was direct in his response. “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,” he told India Today.
The batting great backed the ICC’s pre-seeding decision, pointing to the logistical complexity of hosting a tournament across two countries. “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,” he said.
Gavaskar elaborated on the scale of planning involved, citing international travel, immigration, customs, airline bookings, and hotel accommodations as key factors. “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.
The ICC has maintained that the pre-seeding system was essential to allow broadcasters and organisers to lock in venues, travel arrangements, and prime-time match schedules well in advance of the tournament.