T20 World Cup: India name 15-man squad; Shubman Gill dropped
India have named all-rounder Axar Patel as the vice-captain while Ishan Kishan has also been included for T20 World Cup
Suryakumar Yadav will lead India at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as the BCCI selectors on Saturday (December 20) picked a 15-man squad in Mumbai. Vice-captain Shubman Gill and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma have been dropped.
All-rounder Axar Patel was appointed as Suryakumar's deputy, while wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and batter Rinku Singh have also been included.
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This same squad will play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting on January 21.
"Shubman, we know what a quality player he is, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment, unfortunate to have missed out in the last World Cup as well because we went with a different combination, but it's the combinations more than anything else...Someone has to miss out when you pick 15, and unfortunately, it's Gill at this point," said BCCI's selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar at a press conference.
Captain Suryakumar, who was also at the press conference, said he was happy with the squad. "In any team sport you play, like all the bilaterals we've played, 2-3 players come and go. When the players came back, they get the opportunities. We are happy as we are right now. With the squad we have right now, we have 2-3 combinations ready. So happy with what we have right now."
The T20 World Cup 2026 will be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 7. India are the defending champions, having won the title in 2024.
India will open their campaign against USA in Delhi on February 7. India are in Group A along with Pakistan, USA, Namibia, and The Netherlands.
The BCCI would be at liberty to replace any of the named 15 till the start of the T20 World Cup.
Earlier, during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Varun Chakravarthy replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal after slow tracks in Dubai were taken into consideration.
India squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.