New Zealand have a knack of punching above their weight.
Credit: PTI Photo
When it comes to ICC tournaments, an unassuming New Zealand have proven to be the dark horses, often punching above their weight to knock some heavyweights out.
The Kiwis, chasing their first T20 World Cup, are placed in the "group of death", involving previous edition's runner-up South Africa and semifinalists Afghanistan among other teams in the first round.
New Zealand could be playing the majority of their matches in India where high-scoring games are a possibility.
What is in New Zealand's favour
New Zealand have an array of utility allrounders, including those who offer spin like captain Santner, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips.
The team also has an arsenal of pacers, each bringing a different skillset in Matt Henry's control, Lockie Ferguson's pace, Kyle Jamieson's awkward bounce, and Jacob Duffy's consistency.
New Zealand are a team that could depend on these varied bowling skills going into the tournament.
What could go wrong
The Kiwis seem to miss the kind of firepower some of the other teams show off.
With batters like Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman, there is ample stability but powerful players like Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips and Santner will have to be at their best if the team is to consistently outscore the opponents.
Playing Afghanistan in the first round could also be a challenge with New Zealand batters historically struggling against spin. However, flatter tracks and the dew could even out Afghanistan's advantage.
For a team that is loaded with experience, New Zealand could gain inspiration from their past performances in ICC tournaments to pose a threat to some of the favorites in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.