India Names Squad for T20 World Cup 2026
India has officially announced its 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, aiming to defend the title they secured in 2024 by defeating South Africa.
The team, known as the Men in Blue, is on a quest to achieve several historic milestones. India has the opportunity to become the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup, win the T20 crown on home soil, and secure a third T20 title.
India’s victory in the 2024 World Cup ended a 13-year drought, where the last title was claimed in ODI format in 2011. Captain Rohit Sharma led the team to their second T20 World Cup win, with the first being in 2007. However, there are numerous changes in the squad compared to the 2024 edition.
Changes from the 2024 Squad
For the 2026 World Cup, seven players will be missing from the squad that participated in 2024. Notable absentees include veterans Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja, who all announced their retirements from T20I cricket after the triumph in 2024.
Other players, such as opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, and pacer Mohammed Siraj, were also part of the 2024 main squad but will not appear in the upcoming tournament.
New Faces in the 2026 Line-up
The 2026 squad will feature several new players who were absent from the main roster during the 2024 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean. The fresh faces include opener Abhishek Sharma, wicketkeeping opener Ishan Kishan, star batter Tilak Varma, finisher Rinku Singh, all-rounder Washington Sundar, fast bowler Harshit Rana, and spinner Varun Chakravarthy. It’s noteworthy that Rinku Singh was part of the reserves in 2024 but did not make the final squad.
Varun Chakravarthy returns for his second T20 World Cup, having previously participated in the 2021 edition but missing out on the subsequent tournaments in 2022 and 2024.
Squad Overview
India’s Squad for T20 World Cup 2024:
- Rohit Sharma (Captain)
- Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Virat Kohli
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper)
- Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper)
- Shivam Dube
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Arshdeep Singh
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
India’s Squad for T20 World Cup 2026:
- Suryakumar Yadav (Captain)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper)
- Tilak Varma
- Hardik Pandya
- Shivam Dube
- Axar Patel (Vice Captain)
- Rinku Singh
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Harshit Rana
- Arshdeep Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Washington Sundar
- Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper)
