The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka in February-March. In a shocking turn of events, India opening batter Shubman Gill who was the vice-captain of the team during the South Africa series hasn’t found a place for himself in the side.
Who has been picked for the T20 World Cup 2026?
The Indian team that will go into the tournament as the defending champions will be led by Suryakumar Yadav while Axar Patel has been named his deputy. Wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan who led his domestic side Jharkhand to Syed Mushtaq Ali title has been included as the second wicket-keeper. Ishan has been in brilliant form in the shorter format of the game and scored a couple of hundreds including a ton in the final against Haryana and as many fifties during the competition.
Sanju Samson is likely to be the first-choice wicket-keeper batter as Jitesh Sharma has also been left out. The right-handed wicket-keeper batter has also performed as and when he has got chances in the T20Is for the team. In fact, he chipped with a brisk knock against South Africa in the last match as well after replacing an injured Shubman Gill in the opening slot.
🚨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
Samson will be the best suited for opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma while SKY, Rinku Singh are the other batters. Team India have picked a good amount of all-rounders in the squad with Tilak Varma who has made headlines with his batting and can come handy as a spinner too. Apart from him, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube are the other all-rounders.
Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh form the pace attack while Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy are the other two spinners.
Why Shubman Gill missed out?
Despite being appointed as SKY’s deputy against the Proteas, Shubman Gill’s batting form had been a cause of concern. Though the selection committee and the captain have emphasised on team’s combination rather than his form but the youngster’s lack of runs has been a talking point.
“We have always kept discussing what the best combination is, or what the best way forward is. Was somebody’s position compromised? Nobody is talking about Jaiswal, he was in the last T20 WC squad and now he’s not here. So, like I said, this is the best combination that we configured for the upcoming tournament,” Ajit Agarkar said during the press conference.
“Some people are going to miss out on a particular format, because they are playing in another. Let’s not make much of it. Over the last few years, Gill has been the No.1 batter in the world. He knows what he has to do, he knows what’s needed and hopefully by the time the WC comes by, he’ll be back to being No.1,” he added.
“Post T20 WC, when I went to Sri Lanka, when I was appointed captain, Gill played well. So, it’s not about form, it’s about combination. He’s a terrific player, and it’s just that we are in a situation where we need an extra player for our combination and that is why he’s been excluded for now,” SKY said.
The squad definitely looks a balanced one but Shubman Gill’s exclusion has come as a surprise for many.
