Intro
2009 T20 World Cup was the first edition where Netherlands qualified for the main tournament. However, they missed out in 2010 and 2012 before regaining qualification in the 2014 T20 World Cup. Since then, the Dutch have been part of every edition of the T20 World Cup and will hope to go a few notches above in 2026.
Their performances in the 2024 T20 World Cup were extremely competent, though one win and three losses doesn't quite tell that story well enough. Had the Dutch held their nerve and beat South Africa like they did in the 2022 edition, the whole campaign may have looked a lot different. Instead, that choke shocked them and was followed by bigger losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Squad
Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O'Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar
Fixtures
February 7: Netherlands vs Pakistan, Colombo
February 10: Netherlands vs Namibia, Delhi
February 13: Netherlands vs USA, Chennai
February 18: Netherlands vs India, Ahmedabad
Probable starting XI
Michael Levitt, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(c,wk), Bas de Leede, Zach Lion Cachet, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Fred Klaassen
Key players
Michael Levitt: Explosive opening batter with terrific hand-eye coordination and raw power, Levitt is also a more than useful medium pacer in the shortest format. His overall potency is vital to Netherlands' chances in the tournament.
Bas de Leede: Another all-rounder, arguably the best in the Netherlands squad, de Leede has a crucial role to play in the middle order and as an all-phases bowler. He can bat in all gears and also has versatility with the ball.
Logan van Beek: Seasoned T20 player across leagues, van Beek is a genuine wicket-taker and is particularly useful in the death overs. He is also a very strong man capable of striking massive sixes lower down the order.
Tournament prediction
Netherlands have a realistic shot at making it to the Super Eights. They have the side to beat Namibia and USA, even if they won't be easy fixtures. India are probably a mountain too steep to climb but Pakistan aren't as difficult for this Dutch side. Especially if the Colombo surface stays a bit low and slow. Netherlands could be a surprise entrant to the Super 8s.