The Indian Cricket Team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 has been announced. This 15-man squad has seen a few players return to the team and a very surprising omission.
India are the defending T20 world champions, winning the 2024 edition of this competition in the West Indies and the USA. The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by India, with a few matches being played in Sri Lanka.
Indian Squad For 2026 T20 World Cup Announced
Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, India has been a dominant side in the format, holding onto the top spot in ICC rankings for well over a year.
Two Indians sit on the top of the T20 batters’ and bowlers’ rankings as well, with Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy dominating their respective fields. And to no one’s surprise, the two are in the Indian squad.
Speaking of the Indian Cricket Team squad, Suryakumar Yadav, who has been India’s captain since after the 2024 T20 World Cup, will lead the team into their title defence at home.
The two wicketkeeper slots are being filled by Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Kishan, after a stellar domestic season, returns to the squad, replacing Jitesh Sharma.
The rest of the batting unit includes Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh. Surprisingly, no Shubman Gill.
Gill is the current ODI and Test captain for India. He is also the T20I vice-captain and projected to follow Suryakumar in the captaincy lineage. However, he finds no place in the T20 World Cup 2026 squad for India.
The Men in Blue’s extensive all-rounder core includes Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel, all four of whom have been T20I regulars for the past few years.
The two specialised spinners in this squad are Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, two of the best spinners in world cricket. As stated, Chakravarthy is the No. 1-ranked T20I bowler in the world. On the other hand, Yadav is ranked No. 3 in ODI rankings, proving that both of them are elite white-ball bowlers.
To round out the squad, here are the fast bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace battery, which also includes Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep is India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is, and Harshit has shown glimpses of brilliance in the past year for the Indian Cricket Team, while Bumrah is considered by many to be the most dominant bowler of this generation.
Here is the complete Indian squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana
India is in Group A of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the USA, and the Netherlands. The competition will commence on February 7, and India will play their first game on the same day against the United States of America.
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