A day that began with real prospects of India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign ending in the group stages, finished in near-perfect fashion with wins for South Africa in Ahmedabad and Suryakumar Yadav’s side in Chennai. The semifinal qualification scenarios have now become crystal clear in Group 1 of Super 8s. South Africa found themselves on the verge of securing their place in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup after captain Aiden Markram’s unbeaten knock of 82 led them to a commanding nine-wicket win over West Indies on Thursday. Markram and Quinton de Kock’s 95-run opening partnership helped South Africa chase down a target of 177 with 23 balls to spare, going to the top of Group One in the Super Eights with four points, having also beaten defending champions India on Sunday. Later in the evening, India crushed Zimbabwe at Chepauk after posting a mammoth 256/4, prevailing by 72 runs. T20 WORLD CUP 2026 SUPER 8 GROUP 1 POINTS TABLE POS TEAM M W L N/R T Points NRR Q 1 South Africa 2 2 0 0 0 2.89 4 2 West Indies 2 1 1 0 0 1.791 2 3 India 1 0 1 0 0 -3.8 0 4 Zimbabwe 1 0 1 0 0 -5.35 0 (Table updated after India vs Zimbabwe Super 8 match) Who has qualified from Super 8s Group 1? The combination of the two results ensured South Africa became the second team to qualify for the semifinals, joining England in the final four. Zimbabwe became the second team in the Super 8s to be eliminated after co-hosts Sri Lanka. The last two spots in Group 1 come down to India and the West Indies, and Net Run Rate will NOT come into play. The match between the two former champions at Eden Gardens on Sunday is now a virtual quarterfinal, with the winner qualifying for the semifinals. India’s Net Run Rate took a heavy beating against South Africa, while West Indies got a big NRR boost with their massive win against Zimbabwe. Which meant if West Indies had beaten South Africa in Ahmedabad, especially in a close contest, India’s tournament would have been as good as over. As things stand, NRR could only come into play in this group if India vs West Indies is washed out, which would see India in trouble as they could only improve their NRR to -0.100 after beating Zimbabwe. NRR could also come into play if Zimbabwe manage to upset South Africa, to decide which team tops the group and faces the second-placed side in the other group.Story continues below this ad What’s the state of play in Group 2? England qualified for the semifinals after beating Pakistan. New Zealand are in pole position to take the second spot, and will qualify in the top spot if they beat England on Friday. Pakistan, meanwhile, have to beat Sri Lanka in their last match and hope England does them the favour against New Zealand by a decent enough margin.
Super 8 Group 1 scenarios: After beating Zimbabwe, what must India do to reach the semifinals?
