Shubman, Jitesh dropped, Ishan returns as India unveil 15-man squad for 2026 T20 WC
The BCCI also announced that the same squad will be in place for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting January 21.
BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar and India’s T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav announced the Team India squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday.
India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 and T20I against New Zealand
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Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicket keeper), and Rinku Singh.
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Shubman Gill was dropped from the squad, and Axar Patel was appointed as the new vice-captain.
The same squad will play the @IDFCFIRSTBank 5-match T20I series against New Zealand in January.#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ https://t.co/o94Vdqo8j5
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 20, 2025
The same squad will be against the T20I series against New Zealand to be held across five different venues in India from January 21 to January 31, 2026. The first match will take place at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.
Devajit Saikia has not named any reserve players, as the matches will be conducted in India, and naming the replacement will not be a problem. During the press conference he said:
“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.”
Shubman Gill, who endured a lean run in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad.
On Gill’s snub, Ajit Agarkar said:
“Shubman Gill is short of runs at the moment and missed last WC too.”
“Your opinion could differ from mine. Sometimes when you pick players, it’s difficult. We still think he’s a quality player. You go through ups and downs with forms, but it’s more about the combinations you want them playing. Someone has to miss out, it’s not because he’s not a good player, and fortunately in Indian cricket we have options,” Agarkar added on the squad selection.
Jitesh Sharma has also been left out and replaced by Ishan Kishan as the second wicketkeeper-batter to provide a left-handed option at the top of the order. Kishan was added to the squad after a strong domestic season, winning the maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title.
Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar returned to the squad. Singh had previously been left out of the South Africa series squad.
The announcement comes on the back of a series win against South Africa, extending their run to eight consecutive T20I series victories and marking their 14th successive bilateral T20I series win overall.
For the T20 World Cup, India has been placed in Group A alongside Namibia, the Netherlands, Pakistan and the United States. The team will begin its campaign against the USA on February 7 in Mumbai.
With senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja having retired from T20Is, the spotlight will be on how the next generation shapes up as India builds towards the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
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