World T20 2016: Winners and Losers from Group Stage

So now we know—England, India, New Zealand and West Indies are through to the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20.

The Super 10 stage of the tournament in India threw up the odd surprise, plenty of sixes and some thrilling finishes, most notably in games involving the host nation.

In Group 1, West Indies qualified quickly with three successive wins, meaning they did not have to worry about losing to Afghanistan in their final fixture.

England lost their opening game but bounced back impressively, with Saturday's win over Sri Lanka securing them second spot.

As for Group 2, New Zealand swept through with a perfect record.

In a straight shootout with Australia for second place, India held their nerve in a real heavyweight contest to make sure they reached the knockout stage.

Here, Bleacher Report has picked the winners and losers from the Super 10s.

Winners: New Zealand

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New Zealand upset the odds with victory over India in their opening game.

New Zealand have built a reputation as a team who always performs well at ICC events, but this is the first time they've reached the semi-finals of the World T20 since 2012.

Stuck in the tougher of the two groups, and without talismanic skipper Brendon McCullum, who headed into retirement before the tournament, the Black Caps were up against it.

However, you count against a New Zealand side at your peril.

Led by the slow-bowling duo of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi—with the pair combining to take 17 wickets in four games—they put India in a spin in the opening game of the Super 10 stage.

Kane Williamson's side followed that result up with a victory over trans-Tasman rivals Australia, as they defended a total of 142 for eight in Dharamsala.

The Kiwis have scored over 150 only once so far (they made 180 for five against Pakistan), but their bowling unit has been fantastic, taking 34 wickets to progress with a perfect record.

Their reward is a semi-final against England on Wednesday at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

Loser: Bangladesh

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Bangladesh will return home haunted by their failure to beat India.

Bangladesh had to qualify just to reach the Super 10 stage, progressing from Group A at the expense of Ireland, Oman and the Netherlands.

However, they failed to pick up a point in Group 2, meaning they are still yet to reach the knockout rounds in the history of the tournament.

It may seem harsh to pick them as a loser, but Bangladesh arrived in India off the back of a successful Asia Cup on home soil. While they lost the final to India, they defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka to get there.

They had the chance to gain revenge over India during a thrilling game in Bangalore, only to fluff their lines at the finish.

Needing just two runs from the final three deliveries of the match, the Tigers didn't even manage to get one to force a Super Over.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah were both caught in the deep going for glory, while Mustafizur Rahman was run out off the final delivery.

After seeing his side snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said, per Andrew Fidel Fernando of ESPN Cricinfo: "The loss was a shocking thing for all of us. Nobody wants to lose like this. It is hard to explain but it is quite disappointing."

Winner: Virat Kohli

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India were on their knees against Australia, but Virat Kohli saved them.

India qualified for the semi-finals the hard way.

The home team came into the World T20 having lost just one of their 11 games in the shortest format in 2016.

However, a shock defeat against New Zealand—they were bowled out for 79 by the Kiwi spinners on a turning track in Nagpur—immediately put them in a tight situation.

They somehow survived a dramatic finish against Bangladesh to stay alive in the tournament, with the tense victory setting up a winner-takes-all showdown with Australia on Sunday.

Once again, India found themselves up against it. Chasing a target of 161, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side were left needing 47 from the final four overs.

But, thanks to the brilliance of Virat Kohli, they got over the line. The right-hander hit an unbeaten 82 from 51 deliveries—32 of his runs came from the final 12 balls he faced.

Captain Dhoni sealed the win with a boundary off the first ball of the final over, but he heaped all the praise on his batting partner, per Cricket Australia's official website: "It was an incredible innings."

Kohli scored 184 runs in the Super 10 stage at an average of 92.

Loser: Australia

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Australia finished up in third place in Group 2.

Australia's wait to get their hands on the World T20 trophy goes on after their exit at the Super 10 stage.

Steve Smith's side were once again made to suffer at the hands of Kohli, who now averages 66.83 against them in T20 internationals, according to statistician S Rajesh of ESPN Cricinfo.

However, the defeat to India wasn't the only reason Australia missed out on a place in the semi-finals.

They made a mess of chasing down a target of 143 against New Zealand. After coasting to 52 for one in the seventh over, Australia contrived to lose the match by eight runs.

There was also confusion over team selection. Aaron Finch, the leading T20 batsman in the ICC rankings, was left out of the XI until the penultimate match, while Josh Hazlewood was also underused.

Coach Darren Lehmann said of the team's disappointing campaign, per Daniel Brettig of ESPN Cricinfo: "You can have all the excuses under the sun. No Mitchell Starc, no Patrick Cummins, all that. But at the end of the day we weren't good enough and we've got to get better playing as a group. Scheduling is always the toughest thing for us, we know that."

They may be masters of the 50-over game (they have won the Cricket World Cup four times in the last five editions of the tournament), but they are yet to master the T20 format.

Winners: Afghanistan

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Afghanistan finished on a high, beating West Indies in their final match.

Sure, Afghanistan didn't make the semi-finals.

But, looking at the bigger picture, their performances once again highlighted the need for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to help Associate Nations grow.

Having seen off Zimbabwe in qualifying to earn a spot in Group 1, the Afghans fought hard in defeats to Sri Lanka, South Africa and England.

However, they saved their best performance for last, edging out West Indies—who had already sealed top spot in the table—by six runs in a low-scoring contest in Nagpur.

They celebrated the win by copying West Indies' "champions" dance. Chris Gayle was so impressed by their moves that he even joined in.

The key now for Afghanistan is exposure.

It is great for them to come to major events and impress, but if they are to continue improving, they need more opportunities to play against Full Members of the ICC.

Cricket journalist and film-maker Jarrod Kimber tweeted: "The great thing with Afghanistan is that there's been so much great things written about them, but watching them always tells the best story."

Losers: South Africa

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South Africa struggled for consistency in India, despite boasting so much IPL experience.

South Africa have now reached the semi-finals of the World T20 just twice in six editions of the tournament.

Their failure to reach the last four in India was a surprise, considering they looked to be in the softer of the two groups.

But, despite so many members of their squad knowing the conditions from their time playing in the Indian Premier League, they failed to produce an all-round performance when it really mattered.

Against England, they were on the wrong end of a record run chase in the history of the tournament, per England Cricket on Twitter.

They amassed 229 for four in Mumbai only to see their score chased down with two balls to spare.

They did beat Afghanistan, but against West Indies, their batsmen could only muster 122 for eight. Again, they lost in a tight finish with two balls remaining.

Once England secured victory over Sri Lanka on Saturday, the Proteas were eliminated with a game to spare.