By Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh named in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad; Gill, Jitesh miss out
Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh have been included in India’s 15-member squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the five-match T20I series against New Zealand ahead of the global event. Suryakumar Yadav will captain the side, with Axar Patel appointed vice-captain.
Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma have been left out of the squad. Gill had served as vice-captain until the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa. The squad was announced on Saturday (December 20) at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, skipper Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
India T20 World Cup 2026 squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Rinku Singh
Axar returns as vice-captain after previously holding the role earlier in the year, before Gill took over during the Asia Cup and subsequent series against Australia and South Africa. Gill also missed the final two T20Is against South Africa due to a foot injury and endured a modest T20I year, scoring 291 runs in 15 innings at an average of 24.25.
Kishan earned his recall after a standout Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, where he led Jharkhand to the title. He amassed 517 runs in 10 innings at an average of 57.32 and a strike rate of 197.32, including two centuries—one in the final against Haryana.
India’s batting unit features a strong core of Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan. The all-round department includes Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar.
The bowling attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana as the other pacers. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav will spearhead the spin department.
India will take on New Zealand in three ODIs and five T20Is as part of their build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026. The T20I series will be played from January 21 to January 31, while the ODI squad for the January 11–18 series will be announced later.
