India announced its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday, December 20th, with some major changes to the playing XI. Notably, Shubman Gill, who was India’s vice-captain in the T20 setup, has been dropped from the team. Axar Patel has been named the new vice-captain. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 begins on February 7th, 2026. The hosts are aiming to win a record third title in the tournament. Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in his first ICC tournament as captain.
Shubman Gill had been struggling to find form since opening the innings for India. He was brought back into the playing XI as part of the management’s long-term leadership plan, but his performance was not particularly impressive. Since his return, Gill has scored 291 runs in 15 T20Is at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137, but has yet to score a single fifty. Yashasvi Jaiswal is also not included in the squad despite his strong batting ability.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson, who had scored 417 runs in 12 T20Is at a strike rate of 183.70 and three centuries at the top of the order, has been pushed down the batting lineup. His performance in the Asia Cup was mixed, though he finished with 132 runs, finishing as India’s third-highest run-scorer behind Abhishek Sharma (314) and Tilak Varma (213). His poor performance at number 3 in Australia led to Samson’s exclusion from the playing XI.
In the final T20I against South Africa, Sanju once again opened the innings and gave India a solid start with 37 runs off 22 balls. The team management is now planning to return to its original combination of playing a wicketkeeper at the top. As a result, Jitesh Sharma has also been dropped, and Ishan Kishan has been selected as the second keeper. Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh have been included in the T20 World Cup squad, while Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma have not been included in the squad.
Team India Squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Rinku Singh.
Team India won the T20 World Cup in 2024. Following this, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from this format. The T20 World Cup 2026, starting February 7th, will feature 20 teams competing, with the final to be played on March 8th. India and Sri Lanka are hosting the tournament. Team India will be aiming to defend the title. Suryakumar Yadav will lead India as they seek to become the first side to win back-to-back ICC Men’s T20 World Cups.