Overview:
Aakash Chopra brushed aside the social media narrative, asserting that the scheduling has not been designed to benefit India in any way.
The Super 8 schedule has added an unexpected layer to the tournament narrative. Group 1 features all the sides that dominated the first phase, whereas Group 2 houses those who were in second position. That setup effectively blocks two high-performing teams from reaching the semi-finals, while offering a more favourable bracket to a side that did not top the group. The allocation stemmed from seeding based on ICC standings before the competition began, with Zimbabwe filling the vacant seeded slot after Australia’s elimination.
The Super 8 equation has grown even more layered with the tournament split across India and Sri Lanka. Logistical complexity increases further given Pakistan’s decision not to play any of their fixtures in India.
Aakash Chopra brushed aside the social media narrative, asserting that the scheduling has not been designed to benefit India in any way.
“This event is being staged across two nations. India’s fixtures are scheduled entirely in India, while Sri Lanka and Pakistan are set to play all the games in Sri Lanka. Given those arrangements, Sri Lanka and Pakistan had to be placed in the same group, with India positioned separately. Nahi toh kaam kaise chalega?,” Aakash Chopra explained in a video.
Are preseeded Super 8 groups unfair? Does it give India an advantage? Let's look at why it's being done and the reasoning behind this.#aakashvani #cricket #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/qw5DhQqRYy
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 20, 2026
“Some are claiming that everything has been arranged to benefit the BCCI. To them, I would ask — does that even make sense? Why would India choose to be grouped with teams like South Africa and the West Indies? In what way does that provide an advantage? Who could have predicted Australia’s exit? And Zimbabwe ended up finishing on top. So labelling this as the easier pool is misplaced. At the very least, look at the facts before making such arguments. Faltu ki baatey mat kiya karo, sobha nahi deta (Baseless comments do not help anyone),” he said.
He highlighted the 2012 T20 World Cup to underline his argument, recalling how all table-toppers ended up sharing a Super 8 group.
“Some are questioning the format, asking why pre-seeding exists and whether there’s any reward for finishing on top. But this isn’t a new concept. The same structure was used in 2007, 2009, 2010 and again in 2012. In fact, during the 2012 edition, a similar situation played out where the teams that topped their groups were placed together in the next round,” the former cricketer explained.