The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has declared the total squad of 15 players for the ICC T20 World Cup of 2026, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka. The selection panel has also confirmed that the changes in the particular team can still be made before the start of the ICC event on February 7.Similar last-minute changes have been made in past ICC tournaments after assessing match conditions.

Suryakumar Yadav has been named captain for the tournament, while Axar Patel will serve as vice-captain. The list of players includes some of the experienced ones, such as Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy, along with Ishan Kishan, who is making a comeback into the T20 World Cup squad. However, the biggest surprise from the announcement was the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was part of India’s previous World Cup squad.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the logic behind the selection, saying, “When someone's playing Tests and not playing T20s, you can't say it's for combinations. When Sanju and Tilak made those 100s in South Africa last year, the Test team were in Australia. You saw Sanju opening last night and that tells you what the thinking is. With picking a second wicketkeeper for the top.” His comments made it clear that availability, roles, and balance were key factors in team selection.

Why Yashasvi Jaiswal Was Dropped from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Squad

Agarkar also directly addressed Jaiswal’s omission, saying, “We ask what everyone thinks is the best position. Is anyone compromised? There's a quality player coming in. No one is talking about Jaiswal anymore and he was in the previous World Cup squad. Hopefully we get it right come the World Cup.” He again reminded that changes can still be made before the tournament begins.

See Also: Team India full squad for T20I World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav further explained the batting plan and confirmed Tilak Varma at number three, saying, “We've fixed number 3 for Tilak, 4 for myself. Lefty-righty is a little overrated. We want to fix that role for Tilak so he knows what his role is and is happy in that position.” Speaking about Shubman Gill missing out, Agarkar added, “Combinations more than anything else, two keepers at the top. Someone has to miss out, not because he’s not a good player, but because we have options.” Overall, the squad reflects a clear focus on balance, flexibility, and clearly defined roles.

India Squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026:

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