Five financial lessons to take away from the ICC T20 World Cup

The ICC T20 world cup has all of us hooked undoubtedly. From low-scoring thrillers to surprise upsets to high-scoring, high-voltage chases that have gone down to the wire, the ongoing world cup has had us on the edge of our seats!

Post the high octane, much anticipated India vs Australia clash that took place yesterday, where India silenced the kangaroos, India is set to meet England in the semi-final clash tomorrow. As for the resilient Afghans, who first defeated Australia and then Bangladesh, the next stop is against the Proteas, who have been unbeaten in this tournament so far!

But before these epic clashes, take a good, long, hard look at your financial fitness. And if you are unable to win at managing your finances in life, here are some insights you can take from these matches!
Never write off the underdog
Remember how USA, an associate nation and cricketing minnow, managed to thrash Pakistan by first taking their match to a super over, and then beating them by 5 runs? USA stunned cricket fans all over the world, while promptly announcing itself on the global cricket scene!

Shortly after, Afghanistan won over Australia, a certified cricketing giant, by 21 runs. As unexpected as it was, it tells us to never completely write off the underdog, in cricket and in markets. Consider this. The BSE smallcap index has jumped up by 61.79% over the past year. In contrast, the BSE largecap index has only risen by 31.78% in this time.

While large caps like Australia certainly offer stability, it is in these smallcaps like Afghanistan where immense growth potential lies. Which is why there is immense merit in allocating some portion of your portfolio to small-cap stocks.
Have an emergency fund
Stunned by both Afghanistan and India, in the end, Australia had to hope that Bangladesh wins over Afghanistan in more than 12.1 overs, so that they could make it through to the Super 8. Similarly, earlier on, Pakistan had to rely on India thrashing USA by a big margin,and then on USA to lose their last league match, so that they could qualify ahead.

The lesson? Have an emergency fund handy, so that you don’t have to rely on others to battle any emergencies. Relying simply on friends and family to tide you through financially difficult times can come back to bite you! Experts suggest that your emergency fund should have at least 3-6 months of your essential expenses.
Markets don't stay the same
Die-hard cricket fans would know of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s struggles against left arm pacers. Before India’s match with Australia, Rohit had been dismissed by 3 of them in this tournament-Shaheen Shah, Saurabh Netravalkar and Fazal Haq Farooqi.

So naturally, fans were concerned about how Sharma would battle Mitchell Starc, Australia’s most dangerous left-arm spinner, who was coming off a splendid performance in IPL 2024 as well. But Rohit Sharma’s swashbuckling 92 off 41 runs turned the tables. Infact, Starc’s over against Sharma went for 29 runs, the most expensive Starc had ever bowled in T20Is.

So, if you think you can time the market, you’re mistaken. Investing in stock markets is not a matter of timing them, but staying invested over-time. The best time to conquer your demons, and to start investing is right now!
Diversify
India’s star batter Virat Kohli has been going through a lull, when it comes to runs. Dismissed for ducks against USA and Australia, his highest individual score is 37 off 28 balls against Bangladesh. And yet, India has continued its unbeaten streak throughout the world cup. That's because other players like Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya stepped up.

The idea is to diversify, and not put all your eggs in one basket. Have more than one asset class in your portfolio apart from equity, like debt, gold and others, so that you are able to hedge your risks. If one asset dips, you have the cushion of others to safeguard you from losses.
You don't need a lot to start
This world cup has largely been about Afghanistan’s dream run, and how they managed to qualify for semifinals for the first time ever. This, despite not having a proper home ground, or any cricketing facilities in their country. Afghani players are a prime example of how discipline and consistent effort is all one needs to win.

So, stop waiting for when you’ll start earning more to start saving and investing. Begin with that Rs 500 SIP right away, and increase it as you go. Starting off and staying at it is more important than waiting for the right time!