Indian team in action. (FILE photo)India Squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Shubman Gill has been dropped from the World Cup 2026 squad. Axar Patel has been made the vice-captain. Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh make their way into the team
Gill, has been brought into the T20I side after a fruitful Test series in England. He replaced Sanju Samson, who was in superb form. However, Gill, who has been opening since the Asia Cup in September, has given quite average returns and is yet to score a half-century in 15 innings.
The other point of discussion will be around whether the selectors want to go with Rinku or Sundar. With the tournament played in the subcontinent, if the Head Coach Gautam Gambhir is happy with the finishers Hardik Pandya and Jitesh Sharma, selectors might be tempted to go with multi-dimensional player Sundar instead of Rinku.
India squad for WC: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma
“It’s not about his form or anything, it’s just about combinations. We wanted to have a keeper at the top, and someone like Rinku or Washington in the lower order,”
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
1st T20I: January 21, 2026, at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur (7:00 PM IST).
2nd T20I: January 23, 2026, at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur (7:00 PM IST).
3rd T20I: January 25, 2026, at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati (7:00 PM IST).
4th T20I: January 28, 2026, at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam (7:00 PM IST).
5th T20I: January 31, 2026, at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram (7:00 PM IST).
In - Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh & Axar Patel (ruled out in last two games due to illness)
Out - Shubman Gill, Jitesh Sharma & Shahbaz Ahmed (added in last two games)
Shubman Gill was omitted from India’s 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team which will be deputised by Axar Patel, who missed the last two T20Is against South Africa.
Sanju Samson, who played in the final T20I against South Africa, was picked as one of two wicketkeepers along with the returning Ishan Kishan, who powered Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy recently. With Gill dropped, Samson could return to the top of the order to open with Abhishek Sharma. (Read more from Shankar Narayan)
“Taking nothing away from (Jasprit) Bumrah, I think Hardik has been the difference in the two teams,” he told reporters after the fifth T20I. “His knock tonight was the difference between us winning and losing. He played a knock in the first one as well, where he just walked in and we had him in a little bit of trouble.”
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma
Shubman Gill was omitted from India’s 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team which will be deputised by Axar Patel, who missed the last two T20Is against South Africa.
Sanju Samson, who played in the final T20I against South Africa, was picked as one of two wicketkeepers along with the returning Ishan Kishan, who powered Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy recently. With Gill dropped, Samson could return to the top of the order to open with Abhishek Sharma. (Read more from Shankar Narayan)
There are no standbys as the World Cup is played at home
"Yeh waala patch thoda lamba ho gaya": SKY on lack of runs
We wanted to have a keeper at the top, that is why we have got the extra keeper: SKY
The squad that we have picked, we can play 2-3 combinations from them: SKY
For a while he (SKY) was the no.1 T20 batter in the world. We have full faith in the 15 that we have picked: Agakar
Good responsibility for me. Good challenge for me to lead at a home World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav
Agarkar: You are looking at combinations. If your keeper was going to bat, he would bat at the top of the order. Shubman is unfortunate to miss out. Someone has to miss out when you pick 15
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK)
We are hearing news that Axar Patel is the vice-captain of the side. Shankar Narayan has pinged from the venue.
Press conference to start at 2:00 PM pings Shankar Narayan from venue
“They have gone backwards. Axar Patel has been axed from vice-captaincy. I don’t know how Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana have come in. IPL is considered the main criterion for selection, but the selectors seem to have considered performances before that,” he added.
Srikkanth also questioned the Indian batting order. ‘Who will bat at No. 5? Five has to be either Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma or Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh. Hardik Pandya usually bats at No. 5, so now, Patel Axar cannot bat at six. I can’t understand how they picked Dube. Yashasvi Jaiswal have performed in international cricket and IPL as well. What does he do?”
“We might win the Asia Cup with this team, but there is no chance of winning the T20 World Cup with this bunch. Are you going to take this team to the World Cup? Is this the preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is hardly six months away?” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.
The most remarkable aspect of India, the T20 winning machine, is that they are not flawless, but they do not let flaws burden them. They strut with the aura of world champions, and one capable of defending the title next year. There were times in the decider against South Africa, which they clinched by 30 runs to register their ninth successive series win, when India were put under pressure. But when most teams would have panicked and surrendered. But India did not. (Read more from Devendra Pandey)
Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana being the designated frontline pacers. In the spin department, there is Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav to go with Axar Patel and Washington. The batting line-up will comprise of Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube alongside Pandya and the two wicketkeepers.
The middle-order batsman has been part of the T20 squad in recent months, but with India preferring multi-dimensional players he missed out to Washington Sundar. Going by the recent trends, all things point out to Washington taking the spot, although it was Rinku who got the nod for Asia Cup. With Hardik Pandya around to play the finisher’s role and Jitesh Sharma also in the mix, the selectors could see Rinku as a surplus to their requirements now.
Washington, on the other hand, provides all-round option. With the World Cup being played in India and Sri Lanka, if the pitches slow down, Washington will provide much-needed balance to the squad and against teams loaded with left-handed batsmen, will offer favourable match-ups. Moreover, he can also be banked to bowl in the powerplay, which India prefer from their spinners.
It was a high-intensity match and probably the best game of the series. I really enjoyed it. That’s the role assigned to me; my first option is always to look for wickets. There’s no reason not to. So whenever I get the ball, my mindset is to attack and look to make an impact. I talk to all of them - Surya, Sanju and others. They always encourage me and those conversations really help. (How do you stay ahead of the curve?) Just by constantly evolving. I try to bring something new every series. If it works, great; if not, I go back, work on it and come back stronger. That’s how I keep improving. I would like to dedicate this to my mom, dad, and sister.
From the start of the series, we wanted to stick to a particular brand of cricket and we did exactly that. We didn’t try to do anything different. We wanted to express ourselves in all departments and the results are right there in front of everyone. Yeah, this is something we felt was missing in our last few series. This is exactly how we wanted to bat, once someone gets going, they don’t stop. We wanted that relentless intent, and today it worked beautifully. Yes, we wanted to try something different. The plan was to use Bumrah in one over in the powerplay, control the middle phase after drinks and then have him ready for the death overs. Washi stepped up brilliantly today and took responsibility. We were under pressure at times, we were challenged, but this game is about how you respond and the boys did really well. It’s been challenging but a very good series. We did almost everything we wanted to. Maybe the only thing we couldn’t quite manage was finding “Surya the batter” I think he went missing somewhere!(smiles) But he’ll be back stronger. As a team, I’m really happy. Whenever we were in trouble, someone always put their hand up and pulled us through. As captain, that’s very satisfying.
After completing his half-century, in merely 16 balls with a flat six over mid-wicket, Hardik Pandya soaked in the moment. He raised his bat to every corner of the vast stadium, flicked a thumbs up to his teammates in the dug-out and waved at his friends in the VIP Box. He was all smiles and chuckles, revealing his relaxed mindset and the pleasure he is deriving from muscling the leather ball to the fence, and often beyond it.
His batting credentials, across formats, has seldom been disputed. But seldom has he looked as carefree as he has in this series. It’s as though someone, or his own mind, has told him just to unlock the inner batting beast in him, to bat without pressure and worry. From the first to the last ball he faced en route to 63 off 25 balls that powered India to 231 for 5, his intention remained the same. To hit the ball as far as he could, often as hard and flat as he could too. Off possibly every other ball. (Read more from Devendra Pandey)
As the selection committee meets today, December 20, 2025, the debate over Shubman Gill has reached a fever pitch, characterised by a stark divide between leadership continuity and current T20 suitability. Despite a concerning run of 15 matches without a half-century and a strike rate (~137) that lags behind modern benchmarks, Gill's status as the designated vice-captain and the "next-in-line" for all-format leadership makes him the quintessential example of the "long rope" theory. While explosive performers like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson have stronger statistical claims to the opening slot, the selectors are expected to lean on "pedigree over production," betting that Gill’s technical class will stabilise India's title defence in the upcoming February World Cup. (Read more from Sandeep Dwivedi)
Gill not ending up in the squad for a second successive T20 World Cup looks unlikely at this stage. However, with Yashasvi Jaiswal struggling with fitness issue, should the selectors prefer another back-up option then Ishan could come into the picture. But that would mean India have three wicketkeepers in the squad. With Samson ahead of the pecking order even if India want to look beyond Gill, the chances are slim for Ishan to make the cut. He may have an outside chance when it comes to making the reserves list.
This definitely doesn’t look like a question at this stage with the T20 World Cup less than two months away. While Gill’s form has definitely been concerning, should India decide to ring changes at the top, they would look inside and go for Sanju Samson who has done exceptionally well at the top. Sending Samson up the order would also free-up another slot for India to accommodate either an all-round option or a specialist batsman in the XI.
Hello and welcome to our live blog of India's squad announcement for the T20 World Cup. While there are not too many surprises expected, we will let you know if there are any.
The BCCI’s senior selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is meeting this afternoon to finalize India’s squad for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. While the squad is largely expected to remain consistent with the successful unit led by Suryakumar Yadav, there is significant debate surrounding Shubman Gill’s recent dip in form at the top of the order and how it has forced Sanju Samson into an ineffective middle-order role. Additionally, selectors are weighing whether to prioritize the finishing skills of Rinku Singh or the multi-dimensional all-rounder capabilities of Washington Sundar, particularly given the spin-friendly conditions expected in the host nations. (Read more from Devendra Pandey)
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
