India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Squad ANNOUNCED! No Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan Returns to National Side

The BCCI announced India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, with Suryakumar Yadav as captain. Shubman Gill was excluded, Sanju Samson retained his spot, and Ishan Kishan returns as the second wicketkeeper for the tournament.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia announced India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup, which will take place in February. The squad was announced during the press conference presided over by Saikia, chief selector Agarkar, and India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, December 20.

With the deadline to submit the preliminary squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC) closing on January 8, the selection committee apparently decided to finalise the India squad a month prior to the deadline date, giving the team sufficient time for preparations, practice camps, and strategy planning ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.

India are defending champions of the T20 World Cup, having won the title the prestigious title last year under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. The Men in Blue will defend the crown under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav. 

No Shubman Gill, Axar Patel Gets Reinstated as VC

One of the biggest stories from the squad announcement is the exclusion of Shubman Gill from the T20 World Cup 2026. Gill, who had been the T20I vice-captain since the Asia Cup 2025, struggled with form upon his return to the shortest format.

In the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, the 26-year-old faced heavy scrutiny, scoring just 32 runs at an average of 10.67 in three matches. Gill was ruled out of the series decider due to a niggle and was also excluded from the squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, ahead of preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026. In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, Shubman Gill was included as a reserve player.

With Shubman Gill being excluded from the India squad, spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel has been reinstated as the vice-captain. Axar served as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in the T20I series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England before giving up his vice-captaincy role to Gill ahead of the Asia Cup this year. 

Now, Axar Patel will once again serve as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in the T20 World Cup 2026. 

Ishan Kishan Gets Rewarded for His SMAT Performance

Another big news from the squad announcement is the return of Ishan Kishan to the national setup. The 27-year-old's last appearance in the Indian jersey was in a Test match against West Indies in 2023. Kishan was part of the white-ball squad for the South Africa series before he was released from the squad due to fatigue. 

Subsequently, the Jharkhand captain was removed from the BCCI central contract for not adhering to the board's directive to play domestic cricket. However, Ishan Kishan was reinstated to the central contract during the IPL this year. After two long years, Ishan has returned to Team India, thanks to his brilliant performance in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. 

Ishan Kishan led Jharkhand to the maiden SMAT title, while performing exceptionally well with the bat, amassing 517 runs, including two centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 57.44 in 10 matches. 

Ishan Kishan scored a century in the final, guiding Jharkhand to a solid total of 262/3 in 20 overs before Haryana were bowled out for 193, giving Jharkhand a commanding 69‑run victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final. Kishan's brilliant show in the recently concluded SMAT season earned back his spot as a second wicketkeeper-batter for the T20 World Cup 2026. 

Sanju Samson Retains His Place, Rinku Singh Returns

Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has retained his place in the T20I squad as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for the T20 World Cup 2026. A day before the squad announcement, Samson returned to playing XI after Shubman Gill was ruled out of the T20I series decider against South Africa in Ahmedabad, and played an explosive innings of 37 off 22 balls, including four fours and two sixes. He added a 63-run opening stand with Abhishek Sharma as India posted a mammoth 231/5. 

With Gill excluded, Samson is likely to open alongside Abhishek Sharma, returning to the top order after he was demoted to the middle to accommodate Shubman Gill as an opener. Surprisingly, Jitesh Sharma was not included in the 15-member squad despite he featured in the first three matches of the T20I series against South Africa. Jitesh was the second wicketkeeper-batter after Sanju Samson in the India T20I squad.

Rinku Singh found his place in the India squad as the additional middle-order batter, offering depth and power‑hitting options in India’s batting line‑up for the marquee event. He was not part of the India squad in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, but was added for the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup. 

Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Washington Sundar.