New Delhi, 20 December (H.S.): : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced the 15-member Indian squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February–March 2026. The biggest headline from the selection is the exclusion of Shubman Gill, while wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has earned a recall after a long gap, rewarded for his consistent performances in domestic cricket.

The squad will be captained by Suryakumar Yadav, with Axar Patel named as the vice-captain, reflecting the selectors’ focus on a flexible, all-round combination for the mega tournament.Gill Dropped After Poor Series Against South AfricaShubman Gill, who recently featured in the T20I series against South Africa, failed to impress the selectors with his performance. He scored only 4 and 0 in the first two games and managed 28 runs in the final T20I at Dharamsala—an innings that lacked fluency and rhythm.

These underwhelming outings ultimately cost him a spot in the T20 World Cup squad, with the selectors opting for in-form players instead.Ishan Kishan Earns Recall on Domestic FormIn contrast, Ishan Kishan forced his way back into the national team on the back of exceptional domestic performances.

The left-handed opener dominated the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, emerging as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 517 runs, showcasing both consistency and the ability to deliver big scores. His return is seen as a boost to India’s top-order balance and power-hitting options at the top.

Team Selection and Press Conference

The BCCI also finalized the Indian squads for the upcoming limited-overs series against New Zealand next month. The same 15 players selected for the World Cup will feature in the T20I series versus New Zealand, giving the management a chance to finalize combinations and match roles ahead of the global event.

Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar and T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav addressed a press conference at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, where they emphasized team consistency, combination flexibility, and the importance of players performing multiple roles in the shorter format.

India’s Squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar