Why was Kane Williamson not included in New Zealand's T20 World Cup 2026 squad?
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Kane Williamson captained New Zealand in the previous four editions of the T20 World Cup.
New Zealand announced their squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Wednesday, January 7. The Black Caps will be captained by Mitchell Santner in the tournament, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka next month.
Veteran pacers Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry have been named in the squad, although they are recovering from injuries.
Moreover, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) also added that the duo could miss some games in the tournament due to paternity leave. Finn Allen and Mark Chapman, who are also battling injuries at the moment, are part of the squad.
The Black Caps have been placed in Group D of the T20 World Cup 2026, alongside South Africa, UAE, Afghanistan, and Canada. They will commence their journey in the tournament with a clash against Afghanistan on February 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Notably, New Zealand will be led by a different captain this time. In the previous edition in 2024, Kane Williamson captained the side in the tournament. They faced a humiliating first-round exit in the campaign after losing clashes against the West Indies and Afghanistan in the group stage.
Why is Kane Williamson absent from New Zealand’s squad?
Notably, Williamson is absent from New Zealand’s squad for the T20 WC 2026 as he has already announced his retirement from the shortest format.
The veteran Kiwi batter pulled the curtains down on his T20I career in November 2025 but will continue to play in tests and ODIs.
The 35-year-old has captained the Black Caps in the previous four editions of the T20 World Cups since 2016. He also drove the team to the final in the 2021 edition, where they finished as runners-up after losing to Australia.
New Zealand squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026:
Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.
Travelling reserve: Kyle Jamieson.
Who will captain New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026?
Mitchell Santner will captain New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
When did Kane Williamson announce his retirement from T20I cricket?
Williamson announced his retirement from T20I cricket in November 2025.
When will the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 start?
The ICC T20 WC 2026 will start on February 7.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.