'No one is going to watch T20 World Cup 2026': Ravi Ashwin gives warning to ICC

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has warned the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the T20 World Cup 2026 will fail to garner viewership due to the continuous scheduling of the global tournaments one after the other.

Ashwin, who played for India from 2010 to 2024, highlighted how the scheduling of India's matches in the T20 World Cup will 'pull' the viewers away. "No one is going to watch the ICC T20 World Cup this time. India vs USA, India vs. Namibia - these are games that will literally pull you away from the World Cup. World Cups used to happen once every four years.



Because of that, the interest is used to build. India used to play England or Sri Lanka in the first round, and that was a lot more fun," said Ashwin in a video on his YouTube Channel 'Ash ki Baat'.

Meanwhile, the spin-bowling all-rounder also recalled how the scheduling of global tournaments during his childhood used to build the 'anticipation' naturally.

“Back in 1996, 1999 and 2003, when I was in school, the World Cup came once every four years. We collected World Cup cards, printed schedules and waited for it. That anticipation used to build naturally," Ashwin added.