Once upon a time, a World Cup arrival felt like a celestial event marked on calendars, debated in chai shops, and anticipated with the kind of nervous excitement that only cricket can manufacture. Today, it feels more like a notification reminder: another ICC event loading…
The irony of Harbhajan Singh criticizing the ICC based on their international calendar for the 2026 T20 World Cup is scheduled a mere twenty months from the end of the previous 2022 T20 World Cup tournament in the USA and the West Indies; and other tournaments such as the Champions Trophy (UAE 2025), the ODI World Cup (South Africa 2027), and the World Test Championship Final (2027) also have been added to the already busy calendar.
Stat check: 2018 remains the last year (COVID aside) without a single ICC event. For a sport built on tradition and rarity, cricket suddenly has an abundance problem. And abundance, as history shows, can quietly erode value.
When Prestige Becomes Predictable
Harbhajan’s core argument is brutally simple: if players can realistically win 8–10 World Cups in a career, the achievement stops being mythical. From 1975 to 1996, players got one ODI World Cup every four years, miss one, and you might never get another chance. Today’s calendar offers almost annual redemption. Great for broadcasters, disastrous for legacy.
Formats Without Breathing Space
The ICC already has clear pillars:
- Tests → World Test Championship
- ODIs → 50-over World Cup
- T20s → T20 World Cup
Yet the T20 format, instead of being sharpened by scarcity, is being overserved. A two-year cycle sounds reasonable until you realize it now overlaps with franchise leagues, bilateral obligations, and other ICC tournaments, leaving no decompression period for teams or fans.
Champions Trophy’s Unintended Ripple
The return of the Champions Trophy was meant to add variety. Instead, it has created event clustering. A Champions Trophy in 2025, followed by a T20 World Cup in early 2026, then a WTC Final and ODI World Cup in 2027, that’s four marquee events in roughly 30 months. Even football spaces out its Euros and World Cups better.
The Calendar Squeeze Problem
The IPL will be in the March–May timeframe, and with bilateral cricket being played during the remainder of that year, the 2026 T20 World Cup is now scheduled for a very unusual early-season time period. This could create challenges to players’ workload cycles and how they prepare for this event, as well as challenges to fan engagement. World Cups thrive when fans can develop interest in them over time – not as a calendar leftover.
The rarity with which the 1983, 1992, and 1999 ODI World Cups were seen contributed greatly to their legend. Similarly, the initial years of the T20 World Cup (2007-12) were equally unique due to the novelty and infrequency of tournaments. We have moved far from that time. When one team is finishing celebrations of a recent international victory, the next major event is just over the horizon. For many years, former players have said that a top-level tournament needs quiet time before the excitement begins. It appears, however, that the ICC has no such preference for quiet periods.
Key Takeaway
Too many World Cups don’t create more greatness; they dilute it.
FAQs
- What is Harbhajan Singh’s main criticism of the ICC?
He believes frequent ICC tournaments have diluted the prestige of World Cups.
- Why is the 2026 T20 World Cup controversial?
It’s scheduled just 20 months after the previous edition, reducing its sense of occasion.
- How does scheduling affect World Cup value?
Lack of gaps removes anticipation, legacy, and the rarity that makes World Cups special.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
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