T20 World Cup 2026: 5 biggest talking points from India's squad selection

Shubman Gill is left out of the T20 World Cup 2026.

On Saturday, December 20, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian Cricket Team‘s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

India‘s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill, who has been struggling to score runs since his return to the format, has been dropped from the team, as the defending champions prepare for the tournament starting February 7.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India made surprising changes to the 15-member team that will chase the third T20 title on home soil.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the team at the BCCI headquarters alongside captain Suryakumar Yadav, which was interesting because Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh were recalled to the team after their impressive performances in the domestic circuit.

Sanju Samson to be back as an Opener

Sanju Samson, who opened with Abhishek Sharma in the last T20I against South Africa and scored 37 off 22 balls, is set to be back at the opening spot for the New Zealand T20I series and for the World Cup.

The selectors have backed this explosive combination, which can capitalize on powerplay situations with their aggressive approach and ability to hit boundaries from the very first over.

Axar Patel is back in as Vice Captain

Axar Patel gets the nod to be the deputy captain after losing that role to Gill, who held it from the Asia Cup right through to the series against Australia and South Africa.

Axar played a key role when India won the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados last June under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Axar scored 47 & took a wicket in the final against SA at Kensington Oval to seal the deal for India, their second T20 World Cup title.

Ishan Kishan earns recall after Syed Mushtaq Ali heroics

Ishan Kishan forced his way back into the national setup by dominating the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 517 runs in 10 innings while captaining Jharkhand to their maiden title.

The left-handed wicketkeeper smashed at a strike rate exceeding 197 with two hundreds, including a match-winning 101 off 49 balls in the final against Haryana.

His last appearance for India came in a T20 against Australia in Guwahati during late 2023, before months away from the national team ended with this spectacular comeback.

Rinku Singh gets another chance in the middle order

Rinku Singh returns to the squad after his last contribution came during the Asia Cup final when he hit the winning run for India. The Uttar Pradesh batter will add finishing firepower to a middle order featuring Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya, who recently blasted 63 off 25 balls against South Africa in Ahmedabad.

Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma were left out

Shubman Gill‘s exclusion shocked many observers, given his status as vice-captain, but his numbers told a story of struggle in the shortest format.

Jitesh Sharma also lost his spot as Samson, and Kishan emerged as the preferred wicketkeeping option for the tournament that India hopes to win for the first time on home soil.

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