Martin Guptill has played one T20I in India.

T20 cricket is still trying to find its place in this cricketing jungle that we all live in. It's still a relatively new concept and we are still seeing various T20 leagues around the world start to emerge, or of course, splash more cash and bring in bigger names, more talent and better competition. Where all eyes used to be zoned in on the Indian Premier League, we now have the Big Bash which in my opinion has surpassed the IPL along with the likes of the Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League or the Caribbean Premier League who's emergence now genuinely offers full-time T20 opportunities for players.

Languishing however is Aotearoa's T20 competition, the Super Smash. I view the Super Smash as being well behind other T20 competitions in all facets, money, talent, buzz and fan involvement. There's a nice spread of kiwis who take part in various T20 competitions around the world, especially in the CPL and England's T20 Blast but the fact that more BLACKCAPS tend to play in other T20 competitions and not our own (via scheduling and what not), kinda sums up where our own local T20 scene is at.

Within that context, the BLACKCAPS are about to get their World T20 campaign underway. I bemoaned how we were robbed of another Test against Australia with NZ Cricket cashing in on the ODI buzz, now however I'm bemoaning how we didn't even get a T20 game against Australia with the World T20 in mind. If there is one thing that the BLACKCAPS have made habit of recently, it's very poor starts to tours/series or transitioning between formats - as seen in the ODI-Test transition against Australia - and our BLACKCAPS will head into the World T20 having just played two Tests against Australia and two warm up game against Sri Lanka and England

A team who have shown us that they struggle to adapt to different formats and have a history of inadequate preparation, will kick-off the World T20 in India with two warm up games in India. That doesn't smell right.

Meanwhile, the Asia Cup is taking place, this involves all the Asian teams going at each other in the T20 format. Australia are in South Africa for three T20Is, just after South Africa bid farewell to England with a bunch of T20Is to end England's tour there.

So everything is going to script as the BLACKCAPS don't quite have the lead in to the World T20 as we'd expect. Can this group of players overcome this and steamroll the competition in one of the most difficult places for foreigners to play cricket? My gut feeling is that I'm not confident, not in India, not when the BLACKCAPS have to play India, Australia and Pakistan in a week before playing a qualifier in the final pool game (the qualifiers would have played more T20 cricket than the BLACKCAPS).

India are still led by MS Dhoni, have the best spinner in the world (Ravi Ashwin) and will be able to chase pretty much anything with Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in their batting line-up.

Australia are very similar in both the calibre of their squad but also the experience in T20 cricket: Smith, Maxwell, Bailey, Finch, Warner, Watson, Khawaja, Faulkner, Marsh and a few cheeky spinners to help them along in Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa.

Pakistan are my smokey. They've got the stacked team that Australia and India have (Afridi, Malik, Hafeez, Riaz, Irfan, Akmal, Ahmed and youngster Imad Wasim, they are playing in favourable conditions (not Aotearoa) and they have the one cricketer who I reckon will take the World T20 by storm in Mohammad Amir.

The BLACKCAPS have a squad that we know pretty well, a squad who have largely been flat-track bullies in kiwi conditions. A lot will depend on the hitting of Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi who are all great smackers of a cricket ball but don't fill me with confidence that they can combine for three performances in a row.

Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls will be the glue. I want Williamson to open and play an anchor role, which doesn't do him justice as he will be an anchor who scores quickly and efficiently. Nicholls will likely miss out, with a hitter picked over him in the middle-order which places huge pressure on Williamson and Taylor, who between them need to score at least two 30+ innings in those three games. This will allow the hitters to enjoy some freedom, play with clarity and focus solely on their job, otherwise we will see the hitters try see out a few overs while also trying to score quickly.

Tim Southee and Trent Boult are currently shadows of the bowlers we know they can be and want them to be. It goes without saying that they are crucial, however I'm more interested in how they perform after enduring their first major slump as a new-ball pair. Are they still world-beaters or did they peak too early? The BLACKCAPS won't win much without Southee or Boult near the top of the wicket-takers list.

Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne will be fighting for the third-seamer spot, which isn't a certainty given that Williamson will be able to call on overs from Anderson and there will likely be a need for two spinners. I'm eager to see McClenghan and Milne in action as they tend to make things happen via aggression/speed mixed in with skill and variety. They have both shown that they have the variations to compete at this level and we might see one of these two enjoy a breakout tournament.

And those spinners. India means spin, T20 cricket in India means spinnerz on a Hummer. Nathan McCullum should lead the spin crew and he's been a fine performer in limited overs cricket, my only concern is that McCullum is that McCullum's flight and speed variations won't quite be enough and that opposing teams have seen a lot of him; they'll know what to expect and how to counter it. There's also the Daniel Vettori factor where opposing teams might settle on McCullum going wicketless for 4-5 runs an over, targeting other bowlers instead.

The most exciting aspect of this World T20 tournament and the BLACKCAPS will be Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi. The cricketing world will be watching, knowing that spin will be crucial and we have two young spinners who have shown great signs in limited overs cricket, plus I don't think the likes of Rohit Sharma or Shahid Afridi will show them much respect meaning that they will constantly be supplied with opportunities to pounce.

They both turn the ball, have variations and own a certain competitive spirit that will see them relish the contest. They won't have played on such a stage though and how they respond will not only be crucial to the BLACKCAPS' chances but also offer an insight into what we can expect from our two young guns moving forward.

Keeping it 100 percent real, I can't see the BLACKCAPS winning two of their first three games. They might sneak through with a win from those games and a win over the qualifier, I doubt it though. I would love to be proven wrong and the World T20 has a history of rather random winners, but after a mediocre effort against Australia in the Tests, I'm warning you that our summer could finish rather sadly.