ICC T20 WC 2026 | Match 2: West Indies vs Scotland | Preview and Predictions

Two-time champions West Indies will start their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign against late entrants Scotland who themselves had very little time to prepare in match 2 at Eden Gardens on 7th February 2026. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match no. 2 between the West Indies and Scotland. 

ICC T20 WC 2026 Group C | Match 2: West Indies vs Scotland | 15:00 IST, February 7, 2026

West Indies come into this world cup slightly on the backfoot, having lost all three T20I series and seven out of nine completed games heading into the tournament. Regular capitulations in the batting order and a lack of cutting edge in the bowling department has been two of their biggest nemesis among many. 

Their last two series against Afghanistan and then South Africa has shown an underbelly to this current WI T20 side which wasn’t the case with previous successful T20 sides. The likes of Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford have been doing the bulk of the run-scoring in recent weeks, however, accumulating these runs on a consistent basis has proven to be another challenge. 

Similarly, the bowling department has looked toothless and uninspiring in most matches. After Alzarri Joseph was ruled out with injury and Shamar Joseph still not back to full fitness, the West Indies lack wicket taking threat up front as well as during the middle overs without the likes of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine to carry the mantle anymore.

As for their opponents, it was a very late call up but an exciting proposition for the associate nation, nonetheless. As a result, Scotland have already played two warm-up games against Afghanistan and Namibia to better acclimatise to the subcontinental conditions ahead of the marquee tournament. 

However, both matches saw them taste defeat, a comprehensive 63-run hammering by Afghanistan followed by a narrow 6-run defeat in a high-scoring thriller against Namibia. It is important to understand that this team will only get better as the tournament progresses given the lack of preparation they’ve had. That said, the likes of Brandon McCullen, skipper Richie Berrington and all-rounder Mark Watt have looked good in these two warm-up games. 

It is also important to remember that despite their status as an associate nation, in the last T20 WC, Scotland competed extremely well in a tough group and almost caused an upset against Australia, which would’ve seen them progress at the expense of England, who ended up reaching the semi-finals. Serving us a reminder as to the threat Scotland pose in a major tournament such as this, with T20 being the perfect format to produce an upset.

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, expect nice and clear conditions throughout the day. The wickets here at Eden Gardens have generally been high-scoring. Both the IPL and T20I matches see teams regularly post scores over 200. Although the recent Test match between India and South Africa saw a rank-turner, we expect the wicket to be batting friendly. 

Looking ahead to this fixture, there’s no denying both countries come into this contest undercooked – although the Scots may argue they alone deserve to keep the tag. But despite Scotland’s lack of preparation, there’s an underbelly to this West Indies side that makes them susceptible to upsets against such opposition. However, considering they are playing in a high-scoring venue and the number of power-hitters in their ranks, we expect Shai Hope’s team to start their campaign with a win. 

Fantasy XI: Brandon King, Shai Hope, George Munsey, Brandon McCullen (vc), Shimron Hetmyer (c), Richie Berrington, Jason Holder, Rovman Powell, Matthew Forde, Mark Watt, Gukadesh Motie 

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata 

Winners Prediction: West Indies