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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia on December 20 announced India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Axar Patel has been reinstated as vice-captain as Shubman Gill is dropped from the squad.
Jharkhand’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-winning captain Ishan Kishan has replaced Jitesh Sharma whereas Rinku Singh has returned to the squad as well after missing the five-T20I series against South Africa.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh.
Jitesh's numbers in South Africa series
Jitesh got two chances in the recently concluded T20I series. In the series opener, he scored an unbeaten 10 off five balls. In the second T20I, he contributed with a 17-ball 27 in the unsuccessful run chase.
Why Gill was dropped?
Gill was struggling for big runs since his return to the T20I squad. He did not score a single fifty in 2025. Replacing Sanju Samson as opener, Gill has not been destructive at the top. In the series against South Africa, he registered scores of 4, 0 and 28.
Kishan returns after 2 years
Kishan has not played T20Is for over two years. However, he has been in good form of late. In the SMAT 2025 final against Haryana, he scored a match-winning century. From 10 innings, he scored 517 runs at an average of 57.44 and strike rate of 197.32. He scored two centuries and as many fifties in the tournament. He will be seen in action in the five-T20I series against New Zealand commencing on January 21.
The designated finisher returns too
Rinku was one of the notable ommissions when the squad for South Africa series was announced. He did not get a single chance on the Australia tour. However, with Gill and Jitesh dropped, Rinku walked in to the squad.
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