In a surprising development, defending champions India have left out Shubman Gill from their squad for next year’s T20 World Cup and T20Is against New Zealand. The squad was announced by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, captain Suryakumar Yadav, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, with Axar Patel named as the vice-captain.
Key Changes in the Squad
Apart from Gill, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma also misses out, as Ishan Kishan makes an impressive return to the team following his explosive form that led Jharkhand to a recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy victory. Additionally, Rinku Singh returns to the T20I team after missing out on the 3-1 series win in South Africa.
Agarkar explained, “We are looking at combinations. Our thought was to have another keeper. Gill is a quality player, unfortunate to miss out, but it is the combination we want. Ishan bats at the top, he has been in good form, and played before for India. He wasn’t there because Jurel and Pant were ahead. Sanju is at the top. Ishan at the top. That is the combination we are looking at right now. We felt he is the best back up keeper at this point.”
Tournament Details
The 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup will be held from February 7 to March 8, featuring 40 group matches scheduled to take place until February 20. The top two teams from each of the four groups will progress to the Super Eights starting on February 21.
India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the Men’s T20 World Cup for the second time. Sri Lanka hosted the 2012 edition, while India last held the competition in 2016. Following the completion of the three-match ODI series, India will play five T20Is against New Zealand, starting on January 21 in Nagpur, with subsequent games in Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram.
Group Stage Details
In the Men’s T20 World Cup, defending champions India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, and Namibia. The Men in Blue will aim to become the first team to successfully defend the Men’s T20 World Cup title, to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, and to clinch the T20 world title for a third time.
India will kick off their Cup campaign against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7, followed by a match against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on February 12.
The marquee clash against Pakistan is scheduled for February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, before India plays their final league match against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 18.
India Squad:
- Suryakumar Yadav (captain)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Tilak Varma
- Hardik Pandya
- Shivam Dube
- Axar Patel (vice-captain)
- Rinku Singh
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Varun Chakaravarthy
- Arshdeep Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Harshit Rana
- Washington Sundar
- Ishan Kishan