Not Abhishek Sharma! Dale Steyn predicts leading run-scorer for T20 World Cup 2026

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South African bowling icon Dale Steyn recently sparked excitement on social media by sharing his expert predictions for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. While waiting for a connecting flight in Mumbai on Monday, January 26, 2026, the legendary pacer invited fans to an impromptu Q&A session on X (formerly Twitter). The interaction quickly turned toward the marquee tournament in India and Sri Lanka, where Steyn offered a clear vision of who he expects to dominate the run-scoring charts.

The highlight of the session came when a user asked Steyn to predict the highest run-getter for the 2026 edition, specifically requesting one name from India and another from South Africa. Steyn didn’t hesitate to back his former teammate, simply replying: ‘I’m going with QDK!’ His endorsement of Quinton de Kock follows the opener’s sensational form in the recently concluded SA20 2026 season, where De Kock finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer while guiding Sunrisers Eastern Cape to their fourth consecutive final.

I’m going with QDK!

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 27, 2026

When asked if the Proteas could go one step ahead of their 2024 campaign, where they narrowly lost the final to India, Steyn expressed high confidence in the current squad’s rhythm:

“Yes. All the players seem to be in good form, especially the starting 11 guys, the bench is slightly cold, but that’s okay, they still solid and I’m certain if they get a chance they’ll step up and surprise a few people.” Steyn said.

Yes 🙌 All the players seem to be in good form, especially the starting 11 guys, the bench is slightly cold, but that’s okay, they still solid and I’m certain if they get a chance they’ll step up and surprise a few people

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 27, 2026

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Since returning to the T20I squad in October 2025, De Kock has batted with the freedom of a man who has nothing left to prove. His comeback series against India in December 2025 served as a warning to the rest of the world; in the second T20I at New Chandigarh, he smashed a sublime 90 off just 46 balls, relying on his trademark conventional strokeplay to make a challenging chase look effortless. He followed this up with another blistering 65 off 35 balls in the final match of that series, proving that his time away from the grind had mentally refreshed him rather than rusted his skills.

This international form has been perfectly mirrored in his domestic performances. Leading Eastern Cape in the SA20 2026 season, De Kock finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 390 runs in 12 matches, including a record-breaking century at Centurion. His strike rate during this period has hovered around a staggering 155, significantly higher than his career average. With 205 runs in just his last four competitive matches, Steyn’s prediction of him being the ‘highest run-getter’ for the World Cup 2026 carries significant weight.

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