The 2026 T20 World Cup is underway, and the competition has been exciting so far. Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has selected his all-time right-handed T20 XI. Speaking on Cricbuzz, there have been some surprising inclusions and exclusions in the team he has picked. Despite being a right-handed player in the team, he was surprisingly dropped from the team.
Former India captain Virat Kohli has not been able to find a place in the all-time right-hander’s XI selected by Ajinkya Rahane. The latter has included six Indian cricketers in the squad; However, Kohli did not find a place. Virat Kohli has been the best batsman for India in the last few years across all formats. Despite his match-winning innings in the T20 World Cup and other T20 series, he failed to make the playing eleven.
Virat Kohli was dropped from Rahane’s eleven
Virat Kohli is the all-time leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup and Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) with 1292 runs and 8661* runs respectively. He is also the third-highest run-scorer in T20Is in this format with 4188 runs. Chase Master was the Player of the Final in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win and Player of the Tournament in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups respectively.
Ajinkya Rahane chose Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler as openers and current Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav got the number 3 position. Buttler and Rohit are the two T20 World Cup-winning captains in the last two editions of the league. Former South African captain AB de Villiers has got the place at number 4.
Here is the video
@jinkyarahane88 He picks his all-time right-handed T20 XI
No Kohli? Look here! pic.twitter.com/h6uVb2OGIU
– Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) 11 February 2026
Ajinkya Rahane chose two Indian spinners
While MS Dhoni, who has been one of the best finishers in world cricket, has been placed at No. 5 and has been selected as the captain and wicketkeeper for the best right-handed T20 XI. Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo are the two all-rounders he has gone with.
Talking about bowlers, he chose two fast bowlers and two spinners. Harbhajan Singh is at number eight, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga are at number nine and 10 respectively. Finally, he chose Yuzvendra Chahal as his final spinner and completed his XI.
Speaking on Cricbuzz Instagram, Ajinkya Rahane said, “So I would go with Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler. At number three is Surya, the captain of our Indian team at the moment. We all know how dangerous he is – he plays shots everywhere, is a true 360-degree player who can change the game from anywhere. So number three is Suryakumar Yadav.”
“Number four, the original 360 player, AB de Villiers. A very dangerous player who can change the game from any position, and we have seen it many times. For me, number five is MS Dhoni. He will be the captain of the right-handed playing XI. I would talk about him as a captain – a very sharp leader, a great thinker and very calm under pressure. So, MS Dhoni.”
“Number six for me is Andre Russell, who is an all-rounder. An explosive batsman and hard hitter – bowlers are basically scared of him. Number seven, another all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo. Number eight for me is Harbhajan Singh – a quality off-spinner and wicket-taker.”
Ajinkya Rahane concluded, “At numbers nine and ten, no batsman wants to face them: Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga. Both can bowl with the new ball, in the middle overs and in the death overs. Number eleven, Chahal – a quality leg spinner, I think, and a very brave bowler.”
Ajinkya Rahane’s all-time right-handed XI
Rohit Sharma, Jos Buttler, Suryakumar Yadav, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Yuzvendra Chahal.
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