India national cricket team’s star middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer looks to be out of the plans for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 despite his heroics in the shorter format of the game.
Shreyas Iyer’s recovery has been delayed till January, dashing his hopes of a T20I comeback as India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad will be announced in the same month.
India’s team for New Zealand T20I and T20 World Cup 2026 will be the same
According to a latest report by PTI, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) will select the same squad for the January T20 series against the New Zealand national cricket team and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
India will co-host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with Sri Lanka in the February-March window, with 20 teams participating and the competition likely to begin from February 7.
As per the rules, teams are required to submit their squads to the ICC one month before the start of the tournament and are given the flexibility to make changes until a specified cut-off date.
India will host New Zealand in a five-match T20I series in January ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, and with minor changes, the same team that plays the marquee tournament will take on the Kiwis.
One of the biggest reasons is consistency – Source
Speaking to PTI, a BCCI source said that the selection committee wants to maintain continuity in team selection.
“With only 10 T20 matches left before the T20 World Cup, you won’t see much change in the team unless someone is dropped due to a specific injury,” a source close to the development told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“Continuity is one of the biggest reasons and there will be no tinkering with the 15 players selected for the series against the Black Caps due to the short turnaround time.”
Shreyas Iyer’s return to training will be possible only after the next two months – report
Shreyas Iyer suffered a serious injury while fielding at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the third ODI against Australia. He was injured on impact after taking the catch while running backwards from point to dismiss Alex Carey. Immediately after catching the blinder, he looked in pain and immediately clutched his rib and was treated by the physio.
He was soon taken to the hospital for further investigation and later admitted to the ICU. Later, a report revealed that Iyer’s injury was more serious than it appeared, and things could have been worse had he not received adequate treatment on the field by BCCI doctors.
In the meantime, he will only be able to train for a few more months and will be out of competitive cricket action for some time after being ruled out of the New Zealand ODI series in January.
“Sources close to the development have now revealed more details about Shreyas Iyer’s injury and recovery path. According to them, Iyer’s return to training will be possible only after the next two months. After this, the batsman will need another month to regain full fitness,” reports RevSportz.
Shreyas Iyer does not seem to be returning even in the NZ series in January. https://t.co/jUI3h3L8UB
– Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) 21 November 2025
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