India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026 announced: Vice-captain Shubman Gill left out, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan included

India captain Suryakumar Yadav and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar announced the 15-man squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday with Shubman Gill being left out despite being appointed vice-captain since the Asia Cup in September, thanks to his poor form with the bat recently. Also excluded from the squad was Jitesh Sharma, with the Men in Blue including Ishan Kishan as the second wicketkeeper-batter as well as Rinku Singh as an option for the middle order.

LIVE | India squad announcement for T20 World Cup 2026

Kishan had been in red-hot form during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, in which played a key role in helping Jharkhand win their maiden title. The southpaw, who has not represented India since November 2023, had finished as the leading run-scorer with 517 runs at an average and strike rate of 57.44 and 197.32 respectively.

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Rinku, meanwhile, had been overlooked for the five-match T20I series against South Africa that concluded in Ahmedabad on Friday, but has been retained for the mega event given his ability as a finisher.

Axar back as vice-captain after Gill’s exclusion

With Gill being excluded from the squad, senior all-rounder Axar Patel returns to the role of T20I vice-captain, a role that he had been appointed to ahead of the five-match T20I series against England in January.

The same squad will also be competing in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand that takes place next month, right before the T20 World Cup, and will serve as a dress rehearsal for the players who will be competing in the mega event, Agarkar and Surya added during the press conference.

No standby players were announced for the T20 World Cup, secretary Devajit Saikia announced during the press conference. Gill, incidentally, had been among the traveling reserves for the 2024 T20 World Cup along with Rinku as well as pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.

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The squad announcement took place at the BCCI’s headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday with nearly 50 days left for the tournament to get underway. The development reveals the board’s intention to allow the players to play freely in next month’s T20I series against New Zealand, which becomes a dress rehearsal for the mega event instead of an audition.

Team India will be entering the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup as the defending champions, having won the 2024 edition in the US and the Caribbean without losing a single game and beating South Africa in a thrilling final in Barbados.

India’s squads for the T20 World Cup 2026 and New Zealand T20I series

Suryakumar Yadav (C), 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 (2nd wk)