The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, featuring several unexpected selections and notable exclusions. Suryakumar Yadav has been named captain, while Axar Patel will serve as vice-captain. Shubman Gill, however, has lost both his place and the vice-captaincy in the squad, and Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been omitted.
In a surprise inclusion, Ishan Kishan, who has been away from the national team for some time, secured a spot following his standout performance in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Preparatory Series Against New Zealand
Ahead of the T20 World Cup, India will play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20 matches against New Zealand starting January 11, with the World Cup squad participating in these fixtures.
T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule
The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, commencing on February 7, with the final scheduled for March 8. India will begin its campaign against the USA on February 7, followed by matches against Namibia on February 12 and Pakistan on February 15 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India will face the Netherlands on February 18. The Super 8 stage will run from February 21 to March 1, with the first semifinal on March 4 and the second semifinal on March 5.
India’s T20 World Cup Squad:
Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy