Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes South Africa should have deliberately lost against the West Indies during the Super 8 stage to knock eventual winners India out of the T20 World Cup 2026. He further added that had South Africa allowed West Indies to win against them at Ahmedabad, India's journey at the World Cup would have been over.

India lost the opening match of the Super 8 against South Africa at Ahmedabad. The 'Men in Blue' had to rely on other results due to their poor net run-rate and needed to win both their matches against Zimbabwe and the West Indies. However, that might not have been enough had the Windies beaten South Africa, as Shai Hope's team had already won their opening game against Zimbabwe.