T20 Men’s World Cup: With Rohit Sharma as ambassador, Sanjog Gupta eyes higher fan connect

At the launch of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta outlined an expansive vision for the tournament, positioning it as a large-scale cultural and fan-first experience. 

The ICC aims to make the upcoming edition “the biggest, most global, and most accessible cricket event ever,” Gupta noted. He emphasized the organisation’s focus on widening the spectrum of fans and building a deeper, more engaged audience across markets.

ICC Chairman Jay Shah presided over the event, which showcased the fixtures. Sharing the stage were Rohit Sharma, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-winning captain and newly appointed ICC Brand Ambassador, India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, and India women’s captain and reigning ICC CWC 2025 winner Harmanpreet Kaur.

The event, starting on 7 February 2026 and spanning two months across February and March, will feature 20 teams from five continents, hosted across India and Sri Lanka. Gupta noted that the World Cup will see debutants like Italy and fast-growing cricket nations such as Nepal and the USA, describing the tournament as an opportunity for “possibilities for nations, many nations, to punch above their weight.”

Gupta highlighted the expanding global footprint of the T20 format, calling it “cricket’s handshake with the world”. He pointed out that more countries are now competing at the T20 level than ever before because the format encourages competitiveness and unpredictability. “T20 is a format where teams ranked lower tend to beat teams ranked higher almost half the time,” he said, adding that the nature of the format encourages teams to invest, prepare better, and continuously elevate their standards.

During the launch, Gupta reiterated the ICC’s ambition to go beyond staging a tournament and instead create a mass sociocultural experience. He said the ICC plans to complement the on-field competition with immersive fan experiences across eight venues, thousands of activation centres, and billions of screens worldwide. Music-led collaborations, a pan-global approach to fandom, and a focus on rhythm and passion will form key pillars of the fan experience.

Rohit Sharma named official brand ambassador

In a significant marketing highlight, ICC chairman Jay Shah formally announced that Indian cricket icon Rohit Sharma will be the official ambassador of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. 

“It is great to have the tournament back in India and for me to be associated once again with the tournament, this time in a new capacity as the Brand Ambassador. I wish all the players the very best and hope they have a memorable time and enjoy India’s hospitality while taking back a lot of memories,” said Sharma.

He echoed Rohit’s sentiment of wanting the sport to grow globally and said the ICC’s intent is to inspire young audiences by giving emerging players opportunities to “feature alongside the stars they love.”

The ICC will also roll out a Global Trophy Tour starting 1st December, taking the excitement of the World Cup across continents before concluding in India and Sri Lanka. Gupta said the ICC looks forward to working closely with its broadcast, digital and commercial partners to “deepen the fandom by delivering enriching experiences across multiple touchpoints” and reiterated the Chair’s commitment to always “put the fan first.”

Gupta emphasised that the T20 World Cup is built on possibilities, not just for players and teams, but for fans and the sport at large. He said the format creates new heroes and new storylines, while giving developing cricket nations the chance to compete on a global stage. “We want more competitive teams. We want more players doing their best in the ICC tournaments. And we want to see new stories, new heroes,” he said.

Speaking about the 2026 edition, Gupta said the event will feature 55 matches across a month, reflecting the high-competition nature of the T20 format, where a single move can change the course of the game. He underlined that this unpredictability is what makes T20 appealing to newer cricketing nations, who continue to invest in improving their performances with ICC’s support.

Looking ahead to the participation of newer entrants, Gupta said he is excited to see teams like Italy and Nepal “come in and do their best,” adding that such countries will make cricket “bigger, stronger and more global than ever before.” Gupta also referenced India’s group placement alongside the USA, Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands, noting that many nations are coming into the event better prepared than in previous years.

The launch concluded with the tournament being described as a “celebration of possibilities” for players, nations, fans and the sport itself.