T20 World Cup 2026, Team India Squad:
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 team was unveiled on December 20 (Saturday). At a press conference held in Mumbai, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia announced the 15-member team. Present at the press conference were Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar. The upcoming T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is scheduled from February 7 to March 20.
Compared to the T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian team now exhibits significant changes. In just 18 months, the team has transformed. Seven players who were part of the winning squad in the 2024 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA and West Indies, will not be part of the upcoming World Cup squad.
Will Ro-Ko's absence be felt?
Renowned players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from T20 Internationals, thus naturally excluding them from the upcoming World Cup. Additionally, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal have not been selected for the next T20 World Cup.
Eight players are retained from the previous T20 World Cup squad, including captain Suryakumar Yadav, quick bowler Jasprit Bumrah, spinner Kuldeep Yadav, left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, along with all-rounders Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel.
The squad sees 7 new faces who weren't part of the team in 2024 but will feature in the upcoming World Cup. These include spinner Varun Chakravarthy, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, opener Abhishek Sharma, fast bowler Harshit Rana, finisher Rinku Singh, middle-order batter Tilak Varma, and all-rounder Washington Sundar. Ishan returns to the Indian team after nearly 2 years, while Rinku reenters the T20 setup.
Rohit Sharma led India to T20 World Cup victory on June 29, 2024. Back then, Rahul Dravid was the team coach, with Hardik Pandya as vice-captain. Over these 18 months, Team India's coaching department has seen changes, with Gautam Gambhir now taking charge as head coach.
The 2024 Indian team included:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), and Mohammed Siraj.
For the 2026 T20 World Cup, the Indian team is:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Arshdeep Singh, Rinku Singh, and Harshit Rana.
