ICC publishes commentary panel for 2026 T20 World Cup; Temba Bavuma and Angelo Mathews to have mic-debut
On February 6, a day before the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup officially started, the International Cricket Council published a list of 40 prominent names from different cricketing nations.
A total of 55 matches will be played across India and Sri Lanka, and the council has announced the names of those who will provide insights in all the matches.
The announced panel is led by core and renowned names like Ravi Shastri, Nasser Hussain, Ian Smith, and Ian Bishop. This panel provides the "World Feed" coverage and includes a mix of legendary players, former World Cup winners, and current international stars.
An equal number of six commentators have been assigned from South Africa, England, and India, while four are coming from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Among them, the 2014 T20 World Cup Champion Angelo Mathews and 2025 ICC World Test Championship-winning captain Temba Bavuma are going to debut with the mic.
Complete list of official commentators
| Country | Featured names |
| India | Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Raunak Kapoor |
| England | Nasser Hussain, Eoin Morgan, Michael Atherton, Ian Ward, Nick Knight, Alan Wilkins |
| South Africa | Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn, Temba Bavuma, Natalie Germanos, Kass Naidoo, Mpumelelo Mbangwa |
| Sri Lanka | Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Russell Arnold, Roshan Abeysinghe. |
| Pakistan | Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Ramiz Raja, Bazid Khan. |
| Australia | Aaron Finch, Matthew Hayden, Mark Howard |
| West Indies | Ian Bishop, Samuel Badree, Carlos Brathwaite |
| New Zealand | Ian Smith, Simon Doull. |
Global/Associate Voices: Danny Morrison, Athar Ali Khan (Bangladesh), Niall O'Brien (Ireland), Preston Mommsen (Scotland), Andrew Leonard, and Katey Martin.
Notably, regional broadcasters like Star Sports and Jio Hotstar have lined up separate expert panels for various local languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, and Kannada.
Read also: Sri Lanka in line with BCCI? Financial partiality and boycott rolls made SLC presi write to PCB
ICC TV unveils broadcast and technology plan
Viewers will be able to watch every match of the tournament through a comprehensive broadcast package that includes pre-match programming, innings interval shows, post-match analysis and daily highlights. Coverage will span the entire competition, from the opening match to the final.
The production will be handled by six dedicated crews across eight venues in India and Sri Lanka, using eight broadcast kits and up to 45 cameras. ICC TV will work alongside production partner JioStar and equipment services partner NEP.
Around 720 broadcast professionals will be involved across production, technical, editorial, graphics, data and management functions, with personnel representing more than 20 nationalities.
Broadcast technology and content coverage
For the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, ICC TV has introduced two broadcast tools developed with Quidich Innovation Labs and WTVision. Pitchview presents the pitch as a virtual, data-based model, linking surface zones with performance data to explain tactical and scoring patterns.
Skillview enhances live analysis using field-locked virtual graphics to illustrate execution, decision-making and technique. Additional broadcast elements include Hawk-Eye for off-bat tracking and full DRS services, WTVision-managed on-air graphics, and CricViz data integration.
Quidich’s Field 360° will support analysis of field placements and tactics. ICC TV will also produce non-live content such as player features, team stories, match previews, venue segments and behind-the-scenes material for global distribution.