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There are only a few stars who have not been named in the T20I squad for the upcoming series that Team India is going to participate in in the near future. Shubman Gill is among the few who could not retain his place in the T20Is despite preparing well for the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) season.
Why did the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not name Shubman Gill in any T20 team? The upcoming 2027 ICC ODI World Cup is believed to be one of the main reasons behind this decision.
Shubman Gill performed well with the bat in IPL 2026.
Before the next ODI World Cup, Gill is continuously scoring runs at a fast pace. After capping off a lucrative IPL 2026 season, the batsman has also scored a century on the first day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
Gill is currently the captain of India’s Test and ODI teams. Ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, he was the vice-captain for the shortest format, which was later cancelled. IPL 2026 was considered to be the ideal platform for Shubman Gill to prove his batting instincts in the Twenty20 format, as his strike rate was under question.
The Gujarat Titans (GT) captain performed well with the bat, scoring 732 runs in 16 matches and as many innings at an average of 45.75 and a strike rate of 163.02, taking the team to the final. While Shubman Gill’s average IPL strike rate is 142.08, he batted with a strike rate slightly higher than 163, which was a testament to his improved performance in the format.
Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel ignores Gill for T20Is
Despite proving his credentials as a batsman and captain at the same time, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel did not pick him in either of the T20 squads announced on Saturday.
BCCI announced its bilateral series against Ireland, England and T20I squads for the Asian Games 2026. Shreyas Iyer has been made the new captain in place of T2I World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma has been made the vice-captain.
As mentioned, the national cricket team management is working to strike a balance across all formats. They have to build a solid core, a well-prepared team before the ODI World Cup. To maintain focus, impact and balance, he restricted Shubman Gill to only Tests and ODIs.
Why is he not in T20I teams?
As per the latest reports, the selection committee has asked Shubman to prioritize red ball cricket and One Day Internationals during the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle to manage the workload and avoid any other troubles in the lead up to the major tournament.
“The selectors are concerned that there should not be any burn-out issue with Gill. Gill has to lead India in nine WTC Tests and also play around 35 ODIs before the start of the 2027 World Cup. The communication has been clear that he needs to be fit for these two ICC assignments. Also, he will be playing the IPL where he will lead the Gujarat Titans,” a source close to the team selection process told PTI.
Read More: Shubman Gill breaks major WTC record for India with brilliant century against Afghanistan
