The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India’s 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in February and March. Middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav will captain the team, while Akshar Patel has been made the vice-captain after Shubman Gill’s exit from the team.
The selectors confirmed that the same team will play the upcoming five-match home T20 series against New Zealand starting January 21 at home. Before announcing it at the press conference, chief selectors Ajit Agarkar and Suryakumar Yadav finalized the squad during a meeting at the BCCI headquarters.
Team India will begin its T20 World Cup campaign at the Wankhede Stadium against the United States of America (USA) national cricket team before facing Namibia, Pakistan and Netherlands in the group stage. The important match against Pakistan will be held on February 15 at R Premadasa Stadium.
India’s playing eleven – Batsmen: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav
Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are ready to open the batting. Samson handles the responsibility of wicketkeeping. Kerala’s batsmen, who were struggling after being demoted from the top earlier, showed improvement in the final T20I against South Africa with Abhishek getting off to a strong start.
Tilak Verma has secured third position. He brings balance with his calm approach and ability to rotate the strike against spin. The middle order is built around captain Suryakumar Yadav.
With the lead roles decided, Ishan Kishan remains the backup option if a change is required due to form or fitness. India has clarity in the batting order in the playing eleven.
Allrounder: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey
Hardik Pandya brings balance with his fast bowling and big hitting at the end of the innings. Shivam Dubey has been selected for his power-hitting, with his seam bowling acting as additional support.
Axar Patel adds control with his left-arm spin and can score useful runs lower down the order. His calm presence and leadership make him very important, especially on slow pitches at home.
These three all-rounders also played an important role in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory. Hardik Pandya returned to form in the South Africa series by taking wickets and scoring quick runs, while Shivam Dubey has improved his bowling since the Australia tour.
India also have options like Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh, but they are likely to remain on the bench unless changes are required.
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
India are likely to field a strong spin attack as the T20 World Cup will be played in India and Sri Lanka. The team management is expected to use both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy to take advantage of the subcontinent conditions and trouble the opposition batsmen.
Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh remain the main weapons in fast bowling. The pair played a key role in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win and will again be trusted to handle the powerplay and death overs with control and experience.
With this bowling combination, India is all set to use the home conditions wisely and defend their T20 World Cup title in 2026.
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