BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia announced India’s squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and the home T20I series against New Zealand next month. The biggest surprise is the exclusion of Shubman Gill from both the teams on Saturday, December 20.
Gill has not only been removed from the post of vice-captain, but has also been completely dropped from the T20 team. Additionally, star wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma was also ruled out, with Ishan Kishan making a comeback after being away from the team for more than two years.
No standby players after India announce ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Sanju Samson has been selected as the main wicketkeeper, while Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the team. Apart from this, Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar have also been included, while the rest of the selections were not surprising at all.
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The selection committee has also taken another bold decision, as the BCCI has confirmed that no standby players have been named for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 or the New Zealand series. Since both the tournaments will be played in India, they felt that players would be easily available when needed.
Suryakumar Yadav explains why no standby player was selected
With both tournaments being played at home, Devjit Saikia and Suryakumar believe that player availability will not be an issue, and replacements can be managed if required.
“The reason for the move is that both the tournaments will be played on India’s home turf. There are no standby players for this team. Since it is a domestic tournament, they (team management) do not want to name special standby players,” the BCCI secretary said in the press conference.
On the other hand, captain Suryakumar said, “At present we are not naming any stand-by. The World Cup will be played in our country and if needed, all the players will be ready.”
India set for ICC T20 World Cup 2026 with 14 consecutive matches unbeaten
Meanwhile, India will start the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as clear favourites, as the defending champions are currently the most consistent T20I team in the world. The Men in Blue have been drawn in Group A along with Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan and the United States.
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Their campaign will start on February 7 against America in Mumbai. India will enter the tournament with sky-high confidence, having won their eighth consecutive T20 series. Their 30-run win over South Africa in the final T20I in Ahmedabad on 19 December extended their unbeaten run to 14 consecutive T20I series wins.
Before the showpiece event, the two-time T20 World Cup champions will play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting on January 11 in Vadodara. This home series will serve as the final tune-up for the Men in Blue before the prestigious tournament.
India’s squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and T20I series against New Zealand:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel (vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh.
