The most anticipated cricket event, the T20 World cup is just around the corner and the excitement of fans, cheering for their favorite teams and key players, around the globe is at its peak.

The tournament, although, is hosted by India which starts on the 17th of October but will be played in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

As the relevant bodies try to keep no stone unturned to make this tournament safe and successful, cricket lovers on the entire planet are equally eager to be part of it by cheering for their favorite teams and make this tournament a huge hit.

The tournament consists of 8 teams, named in Super 12 that have direct entry into the tournament while the remaining 4, placed in Group Stage, will qualify via qualifier round.

The top teams comprise key players, who will be playing pivotal roles for their respective sides in order to lift the prestigious World Cup.

Babar Azam

The 27-year-old Pakistan Captain has all the potential to be one of the key players of the upcoming T20 World Cup. Babar Azam is currently sitting on 2nd spot in the ICC T20I Batsman Rankings and has 20 half-centuries to his name in this shortest format.

The stylish skipper became the fastest player to reach the landmark of 7000 career runs in T20 cricket. He achieved this feat in the recently concluded National T20 Cup beating the likes of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli.

Babar will have plenty of pressure on him to perform, but it doesn’t neglect the fact that he is Pakistan’s key player in this year’s T20 World Cup.

Virat Kohli

Probably, India is the most dangerous side of the T20 World Cup. The reason is recently concluded IPL in UAE and strong combination of players. But for India, one of the key players will be Virat Kohli.

Although he is not in good touch for the past two years but he is a player that has single-handedly won matches in the past and India will be hoping that he does the same in the future.

Glenn Maxwell

Swashbuckling batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is considered one of the best in business when it comes to smashing the ball. His dictionary is full of unconventional and unorthodox shots. 

On his day he can be a nightmare for opponents and can pull off the game in no time. His athleticism and presence of mind are incomparable. He can improvise in such a way that can make one scratch their heads.

He can bowl too at a decent average and can play a vital role on the slow dusty pitches of the UAE. With a strike rate of almost 159 with the bat in T20I’s, Glenn Maxwell is one of the key players that Australia relies upon.

Liam Livingstone

The big-hitting right-hander is the key player for England’s success in the T20 World Cup. Liam Livingstone has managed to break into the eleven only eight times, but he has made the most of his opportunities and has been named in England squad.

The 28-Year-old from Lancashire was named the MVP of the inaugural “The Hundred” tournament in the UK. This key player also holds the record of fastest fifty and fastest hundred for England in a T20I.

There are no doubts about Livingston’s power-hitting capabilities and due to his current form, he is surely a key player and a threat to the opposition in this World Cup.

Nicholas Pooran

The extravagant left-handed Caribbean batsman can be destructive at the middle order and one of the key players to watch for this World Cup. With a strike rate of almost 125 at T20 Internationals,  Nicholas Pooran can turn the game around within no time. His hard-hitting ability at the lower middle order can be beneficial for West Indies to either score huge or chase down the target.

Apart from his striking abilities, the Vice-Captain also serves as a wicket-keeper too. His sharp reflexes and electric glovework behind the stumps make him the key player to watch out for in this World Cup.

Nicolas Pooran was the youngest cricketer to play Caribbean Premier League when he debuted in 2013. He was also named as the rising star of the squad by the ICC after the 2019 World Cup.

Devon Conway

New Zealand’s Devon Conway emerged on the scene in November 2020 when he debuted against West Indies in a T20I where he scored blistering 41 runs with a strike rate of 141.38.

The attacking left-handed batsman loves to play in the middle order. His adaptability across all the formats is said to be his core strength. He has just played 14 T20 Internationals and has a strike rate of 151 with 4 fifties to his name.

With that much dominance in such a short period of time, Devon Conway can prove to be a lethal weapon and one of the key players for New Zealand in order to surge high in their World Cup campaign.

Shakib-Al-Hasan

Bengal tigers have not qualified yet for T20 World Cup and they have to play the qualifying round in order to participate in the tournament.

In the last two T20I series, they have beaten the Aussies comprehensively by 4-1 and New Zealand by 3-2 respectively, with the key performances of Mohammad Nasum and Shakib.

Shakib was also the man of the series against Australia. That’s why the key player for the Bangladesh cricket team is Shakib-ul-Hasan.

He was in a good form in IPL too. The reason is that he is not just a good bowler but also a complete batter, who can bat in any given situation for the team. These abilities make him a key player in this year’s T20 World Cup.

Tabraiz Shamsi

Shamsi might not be a star in the eyes of casual cricket fans but the 31-year-old is surely a key player, as he is currently the highest-ranked T20I Bowler in the world.

He has proved his worth in the past 12-18 months and is also closing in on the record for most wickets in a calendar year in 2021, with 28 wickets and counting.

Shamsi is an integral part of the Proteas squad and they will be hoping that Shamsi would deliver on the big stage as he is the only South African in the top 40 bowlers in the ICC T20I rankings.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is the key player for Afghanistan since the start of his career. He took 95 international wickets in 51 matches with an economy of 6.21. He is also handy with the bat at the end of the innings.

Rashid can play an important role in T20 World Cup for Afghanistan if they have any chance of going through to knockout stages.

Written by: Aaliyan Khan, Syed Asad Jawed, and Anus Amin