T20 World Cup 2021 is at its business end. This edition of the T20 World Cup has been as competitive as it gets. Fans had to wait for the last games of group stage matches to get the full list of semi-finalists. However, we have got the top eight teams to qualify for the next edition of the T20 World Cup. West Indies are one of the bigger teams to miss the top 8 spots of the T20 World Cup 2022.

8 Teams to qualify for T20 World Cup 2022

Here are the 8 teams to qualify for T20 World Cup 2022 -

1. Australia

Australia, the host of T20 World Cup 2022 are one of the first team to qualify for the T20 World Cup. The Aussies led by Aaron Finch have qualified for the semis of this T20 World Cup. They will be looking to make the "new batch" of Australian cricket ready for the home World Cup.

Read Also: Players to take hat-tricks in T20 World Cup

2. New Zealand

The neighbours of the Aussies will be heading to the next World Cup with lots of positives. However, Tim Southee and Trent Boult might be playing their last T20 World Cup. Therefore, you might see some major changes to the squad.

Read Also: T20 world cup 2021: Most T20i wickets

3. Pakistan

Probably the best T20 team in terms of talent. A young captain, fearsome bowling led by Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan will be going as favourites again to win the trophy. However, they might be looking for replacements for Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.

4. India

T20 World Cup 2022 will be the first bug assignment for newly appointed coach Rahul Dravid. Moreover, it will be interesting to see who will replace Virat Kohli as the captain of the T20 team. However, it seems Rohit Sharam will be the one to lead the men in blue.

Read Also: Top 4: Most Wickets In T20I For India – Bumrah At The Top

5. England

England will be the team to beat again in T20 World Cup 2022. No team in the current scenario possesses as much depth in the squad as England. However, Morgan's batting form might be considered before the big event as Jos Buttler looks to be getting ready for a leadership role as well.

6. South Africa

South Africa has now over the transition period. It looks like Henrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram along Quinton de Kock will make this African team world-class. Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada's pace can be a threat for any team. They will be looking to get back their golden days back.

7. Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the new force in the T20 battle. Their main focus on the T20 format has made them one of the dark horses in world cricket. With Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman in the bowling attack, they form a terrific spin bowling formation. However, they might look for more batting options next time.

Read Also: Quickest 100 T20 International Wickets

8. Bangladesh

Despite a horrific performance in the T20 World Cup 2021, Bangladesh has the fortune of getting a direct entry into the T20 World Cup 2022. It will be very interesting to see who will get the responsibility to lead the Bengal tigers after a terrible result from Mahmudullah as captain.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Central Contract for the 2025-26 season on Monday, 21st April 2025. 7 new players were added to the contract, while players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan returned to the list after missing out last time.

Last year, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were left out of the BCCI central contract after opting out of the domestic games for their respective state teams. BCCI's focus on domestic cricket left them out of the central contract despite being part of the Indian team set up a few months ago.

But, this time, both the Indian batters were added to the contract after Iyer won everything in the domestic cricket last season, along with lifting the IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders. Ishan Kishan also played through the entire domestic season and has been rewarded with the contract too. 

Read Also | "Mere Sath Kyun?.:" Ishan Kishan breaks silence on Team India exit and Central Contract termination

Talking points from the BCCI Central Contract 2025

Rohit and Kohli stay in Grade A+ 

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remained in the Grade A+ category despite retiring from the T20I format. Rohit and Virat had announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game after lifting the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies. 

Ravindra Jadeja is another name who has been listed in the A+ category despite retiring from the T20Is after the World Cup victory.

Bumrah is the only all-format player in A+

With Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja retiring from the shortest format of the game, Jasprit Bumrah remains the only all-format player to be in the A+ category of the BCC Central Contract 2025.

Pant is promoted to the Grade A category

Rishabh Pant received a promotion to the A category after being in the B category last year. Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami are the other names in the A category, who were already there in last year's contract. 

Ravi Ashwin has been left out of the contract since he retired from international cricket.

Iyer listed in grade B; Kishan in grade C

Shreyas Iyer, who was left out of the contract last year, has been included in the Grade B, while Ishan Kishan has been listed in the Grade C. 

Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the other names in Grade B, who were there last time as well. 

New 7 names in Grade C

7 new players have been added to the BCCI Central Contract 2025. All of these players found themselves in Grade C. 

Dhruv Jurel, Sarafraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Akash Deep are the players who received the contract for their performances in the last season. 

Not to be confused, Akash Deep earlier had a fast bowling contract and this year received the central contract after doing well in the Test format. 

Shardul Thakur, Jitesh Sharma, KS Bharath, Avesh Khan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa have been left out of the contract this year.

Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa were all part of the fast bowling contract last season. 

BCCI Central Contract 2025

BCCI announces annual player retainership 2024-25 - Team India (Senior Men) 💙🤝#Bcci #IndianCricket #Viratkohli #RohitSharma #jaspritbumrah #Shreyasiyer #KlRahul #HardikPandya #Ipl2025 pic.twitter.com/LSmlg06QOS

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) April 21, 2025

Gujarat Titans entered IPL 2025 with one of the best bowling line-ups. They had Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Ishant Sharma among fast bowlers. And Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore and Washington Sundar leading the spinners. But while you would have expected Rashid Khan to be the main stars, reality has been different. Rashid endured the worst-ever phase of bowling he’s had in any IPL, and he has been playing in the tournament since 2017. He has gone wicketless in 7 innings out of 18 since IPL 2024. 

So, let's take a look at the stats of 'Rashid Khan in IPL since 2024'.

Also Read: Most Wickets Among Spinner in IPL Since 2023

What has gone wrong with Rashid?

The Rashid Khan in IPL of 2017 to 2023 was a master at landing the ball where he wanted to. He would find that sweet spot where batters were neither confident coming forward because the ball was not full enough, nor rocking back because it wasn’t short enough. And with Rashid’s speeds, you couldn’t safely just read him off the pitch either.

Moreover, it was extremely difficult to pick his variations. The googly caught many a batter plumb or bowled, because when he delivered it the difference in action was miniscule compared to his leg-break. His changes of pace, sliders and top-spinners were equally subtle. There was a fizz to his bowling.

But of late, that control has been lacking. The master of length has been bowling too short, too full, and straying in line too. What could be the reason?

Rashid had back surgery in late 2023, and that could well be a contributing factor. Since his comeback from that surgery, he has been a diminished version of what he was at his peak. The numbers show that clearly.

Rashid Khan in IPL since 2024

There is a clear contrast between the 2025 numbers and those of previous years. IPL 2024 was the first time Rashid was a bit below average, although in the most batting-dominated season of all time, his numbers were still quite okay. But in 2025 that decline was steeper.

Rashid Khan in IPL over the years

From his first year in 2017, Rashid was a phenomenon. He was extremely difficult to score off, and despite opponents playing him defensively and trying to just get through his overs without damage, he was picking up regular wickets too.

Also Read: IPL Facts: Best Economy in IPL Since 2024

We expect Rashid to be back soon

Rashid still remains a key part of the Gujarat Titans. His experience and nous can’t be discounted, and he adds value with his batting too. As he showed against Royals, he can be handy with his bowling still. What has helped Titans is how Kishore has seamlessly stepped up, while Siraj and Prasidh are on track to have their best IPL seasons. That has allowed the team to not be too hindered by Rashid’s drop off. And they expect him to be back to his best soon too.

Whether this game marks the start of better fortunes for Rashid or not remains to be seen. But it did show that he can’t be discounted yet.

Taking a shocking decision, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has removed fielding coach T Dilip and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar from the Indian team's coaching staff. BCCI has taken this action after India's humiliating defeat in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. 

According to media reports, by removing the coaching staff and many other members, the BCCI has given a strict warning that the performance of the Indian team in Tests cannot be ignored.

Also Read: IPL 2025 facts: KKR has won every game when this player has played for them

Abhishek became assistant coach eight months ago

Abhishek was appointed as the assistant coach just eight months ago when Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach. However, he has now been relieved of his responsibilities as the assistant coach.

Along with him, fielding coach T. Dilip and strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai have also been sacked. Apart from this, a staff member who used to massage the players in the team has also been sacked.

Abhishek worked with Gambhir in KKR

Rahul Dravid's tenure ended after the T20 World Cup 2024. After this, BCCI appointed Gambhir as the head coach. Gambhir had associated his teammates from Kolkata Knight Riders with the team as his assistants.

Before becoming the head coach of the Indian team, Gambhir was the mentor of KKR and at that time Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate were the support staff in the same team. Morne Morkel had worked with Gambhir in Lucknow Super Giants. He was holding the post of fielding coach since the time of Dravid.

Replacement for Abhishek and Dilip

The BCCI has not announced permanent replacements as per reports. However, the transition is already underway. Sitanshu Kotak, currently with the team setup, will continue in his role. Ryan ten Doeschate will handle fielding duties in place of Dilip. For fitness and conditioning, Adrian Le Roux who is currently with Punjab Kings will fill in for Desai.

India's performance in Border Gavaskar Trophy

Team India struggled in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. They were inconsistent on both the batting and bowling fronts as the Aussies dominated. The failure was not just about the scoreboard, but the manner in which the team collapsed under pressure.

Also Read: Bengal Cricket: YMCA (College Branch) Clinches Thrilling Victory in Relegation Final, BNR Relegated to CAB Second Division

The result of this loss prompted the BCCI to introspect, and a shake-up the support staff.

The Indian team is set to play a five-match Test series against England starting June 20. They will want to bounce back with the new restructured support staff.

Indian team's star batsman Virat Kohli scored a brilliant half-century in the match against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. The former captain, who is in great form, became the first Indian to score 100 half-centuries in T20 cricket. 

The Indian stalwart entered the exclusive club, which solely featured David Warner as its sole member. The former Australia star boasts a staggering 108 half-centuries in the T20 format.

Also Read: Most Wickets in 1st Over of IPL

Let's take a look at the batters with most gifties in T20 cricket.

Most Fifties in T20 Cricket

5. Jos Buttler | 86

The England batter Jos Buttler has a fantastic record in the shortest format and has featured in franchise cricket all around the world. Buttler is a part of the Gujarat Titans side in the ongoing IPL season. He has so far played 440 matches in T20 cricket, scoring a total of 12,331 runs with 8 hundreds and the highest individual score of 124.

4. Chris Gayle | 88

The explosive West Indies batter Chris Gayle has played franchise cricket all around the world and has also featured a lot for the national side in the shortest format. Gayle has played 463 matches in T20 cricket, scoring a total of 14,562 runs with 22 centuries and the highest individual score 175*.

3. Babar Azam | 90

The Pakistan batter has not only played a lot of T20 cricket for the national side, but has also featured a lot in franchise cricket. Babar has so far played 311 matches in the format, scoring a total of 11,042 runs with 11 hundreds and the highest individual score of 122.

2. Virat Kohli | 100*

The India star batter Virat Kohli scored his 100th half-century in T20 cricket during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's clash against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. Kohli has so far played 405 matches in the format, scoring a total of 13,134 runs with 9 centuries and the highest individual score of 122*.

Also Read: Most Fifties (and over) in IPL History

1. David Warner | 108

The former Australia batter David Warner has played a total of 400 matches in T20 cricket, scoring a massive 12,925 runs. Along with a humongous number of half-centuries, Warner also has 8 centuries under his name in the format with the highest individual score of 135*.

Indian Premier League has been one of the toughest yet entertaining cricket leagues in the world since its inception in 2008. Since then, many Indian and overseas batters have gone on to score plenty of runs for their teams. In this article, we will discuss all those batters who have scored the most fifties (and over) in IPL history. 

Currently, former Australian batter David Warner holds the record for the most fifties (and over) scored in IPL history with 66 fifties. Indian legend Virat Kohli follows him on the list with 65 fifties. With his consistency, Virat Kohli can go past Warner any time and become the batter with the most fifties (and over) in IPL history. 

Shikhar Dhawan, who is considered one of the best openers in IPL history, has 53 IPL fifties to his name. However, he will not be able to increase that number as he has already hung up his boots. 

Rohit Sharma, with 45 IPL fifties, and KL Rahul with 43 fifties can surely get close to David Warner's number. Rahul has been in tremendous form and has already scored two fifties in IPL 2025. However, Rohit Sharma has struggled to get going this season. 

Read Also | Most runs in IPL since 2018

AB de Villiers and Suresh Raina, two of the greatest middle order batters ever to play in Indian Premier League history, also come upon the list with 43 and 40 IPL fifties to their names. 

Faf du Plessis (38) is another name among the active cricketers who ranks among the top 10 players with most IPL fifties so far. 

Read Also | IPL Facts: Most Man of the Match Awards in IPL History

Most fifties (and over) in IPL History (Top 10)