Shubman Gill dropped, Ishan Kishan surprises: India announces T20 world cup squad

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : Team India has been announced for next year's T20 World Cup 2026. The selection meeting, held on December 20th at BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, led by Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, approved the names of 15 players. Suryakumar Yadav will captain the team. The selection was formally announced by Devjit Saikia.

Major decisions: Gill out, Axar named vice-captain

The most surprising decision was the omission of Shubman Gill from the team. Ishan Kishan has returned in his place. Axar Patel has also been named vice-captain. Rinku Singh has also returned to the team, while wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma has been dropped.

Bowling edge, all-round strength: Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace attack. Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav have been relied upon in the spin department. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube will add balance to the team as all-rounders.

Recent form was the reason for selection

Many of the players selected had excellent performances in the T20 series against South Africa. Tilak Verma was the top scorer with 187 runs in four matches, while Hardik Pandya scored 142 runs, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 186+. Varun Chakravarthy, with 10 wickets in four matches, won the Player of the Series award.

Why Ishan Kishan's return?

A key reason for Ishan Kishan's return was his impressive performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He led Jharkhand to their first title as captain, scoring over 500 runs in 10 matches. In contrast, Shubman Gill's total of 32 runs in three innings in the T20I series against South Africa was a key factor in the selectors' decision.

Based on the team combination and recent form, the selectors have given a clear indication that aggression, fielding and death-overs strength are their priorities for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Team India for T20 World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Verma, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Rinku Singh.