Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has left out left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav while naming his probable Men in Blue XI for the T20 World Cup 2026. The tournament begins on February 7 and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. India will start their campaign against the USA at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

On February 6, during a Q&A on his Instagram stories, Rahane said Sanju Samson should open with Abhishek Sharma, despite Samson scoring only 46 runs in five innings in the recent T20I series against New Zealand. At No. 3, Rahane picked Tilak Varma, with Ishan Kishan as another option.

The middle order has captain Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4, followed by all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. At No. 7, Rahane chose Rinku Singh, with vice-captain Axar Patel next. The bowling attack includes mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and two fast bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.

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Rahane’s Predicted Men in Blue XI for T20 World Cup 2026

Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has shared his predicted Men in Blue XI for the T20 World Cup 2026. His line-up is: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma/Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah.

Rahane Picks Finalists and Dark Horses

During the same Instagram Q&A session, Rahane predicted India and South Africa as the finalists for the T20 World Cup 2026. These two teams also played the final in 2024, where Rohit Sharma’s India beat South Africa by seven runs.

He also named Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan as the dark horses of the tournament. In the last edition, Afghanistan reached the semi-finals before losing to South Africa. This time, they are in a tough Group D with South Africa, New Zealand, the UAE, and Canada.