नवीनतम
Gill dropped, Axar is deputy to Surya in India's T20 WC squad
MUMBAI [Maha Media]: Suryakumar Yadav will continue as India’s T20 captain after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday, with Shubman Gill being the notable omission.
Axar Patel has been named vice-captain in Gill’s absence. Gill, who leads India in Tests and ODIs and usually deputises for Suryakumar in T20Is, has been battling fitness issues in recent months, which have kept him out of contention for the global tournament.
Sanju Samson, who had earlier lost his opening position to Gill, has been included in the squad and could be considered as Abhishek Sharma’s partner at the top of the order.
However, he faces stiff competition from Ishan Kishan, who has earned a recall to the national setup after nearly two years following a prolific domestic season.
Kishan, a wicketkeeper-batter, last represented India in 2023 and recently finished as the highest run-scorer in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, playing a key role in Jharkhand’s maiden title triumph.
The squad also features the in-form Tilak Varma, who has continued to impress with his adaptability across match situations in T20Is. India’s bowling attack will be led by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, currently the world No. 1-ranked T20 bowler.
India, the defending champions, will co-host the 10th edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup alongside Sri Lanka. The expanded tournament will feature 20 teams divided into four groups of five in the group stage.
Placed in Group A, India will face arch-rivals Pakistan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia. The team will open its campaign against the USA in Mumbai on February 7, while the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash is scheduled for February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The final is set to be played on March 8, with Ahmedabad earmarked as the host venue unless Pakistan qualify, in which case Colombo will stage the summit clash.
India are two-time winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup, having lifted the inaugural trophy under MS Dhoni in 2007 and regaining the title in 2024 under Rohit Sharma.
India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk).
