The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 and the upcoming New Zealand series. the 15-man squad will be led by Suryakumar Yadav while Axar Patel has been named his deputy. Surprisingly, Shubman Gill who was the vice captain of the side during South Africa T20Is was dropped while wicket-keeper batter Ishan kishan and Rinku Singh were called-up. Apart from this, Jitesh Sharma also missed out on a place in the side.
While the selectors announced the names of the 15 members, no reserve players were announced. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said that the Indian team would not announce any reserve players for the upcoming T20 World Cup, since the tournament will be played in India and Sri Lanka and in case of any emergencies, the required player would be ready to play.
🚨India’s squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 announced 🚨
Let’s cheer for the defending champions 💪#TeamIndia | #MenInBlue | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7CpjGh60vk
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 20, 2025
“Since the tournament is happening in our country. We won’t have any problem in naming replacements. Hence, we haven’t named any reserves for the squad,” said Devajit Saikia in press conference.
Ishan Kishan’s comeback in the side has been a notable change after the aggressive left-handed batter led Jharkhand to first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali title. While Ishan led the side to the glory, he himself stamped authority after becoming the highest run-getter in the competition with a total of 517 runs in 10 innings. He also notched up two tons and as many half-centuries.
India’s full squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
