Suryakumar Yadav to Lead India in 2026 T20 World Cup; Gill Dropped
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India has announced its squad for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with Suryakumar Yadav named as captain. The selection committee, meeting at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai, unveiled a team featuring several notable inclusions and omissions. BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia announced the team in a press conference, attended by Captain Yadav.
Squad Announcements and Key Decisions
The 15-member squad sees Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma slated to open the batting. A significant change is the exclusion of Shubman Gill, who was previously the team’s vice-captain, due to a recent dip in form. “His recent performances were not up to the mark,” a senior official stated. Axar Patel has been appointed as the vice-captain, while Ishan Kishan makes a return to the Indian team after a two-year absence. Rinku Singh also earns a spot in the squad.
The squad also includes Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah, and Harshit Rana. Both Kishan and Rana will serve as wicketkeepers alongside Samson.
Dual Tournaments: T20 World Cup and New Zealand Series
Notably, the same core group of players will also participate in a concurrent T20 series against New Zealand. The New Zealand series squad features Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh in place of some players selected solely for the World Cup. Jitesh Sharma was also not included in the 15-member squad for either tournament.
Tournament Details and Schedule
The 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is set to commence on February 7th and conclude on March 20th. India, the defending champions, has been placed in Group A alongside the United States of America (USA), Namibia, Netherlands, and Pakistan.
Indian group matches will be held across four venues: Arun Jaitley Stadium (Delhi), Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo), and Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad).
A detailed schedule of the initial matches has been released, including India’s opening match against the USA in Mumbai on February 7th. The schedule extends through February 20th, with matches taking place across multiple cities in India and Sri Lanka.
Here is the schedule for the first few days of the tournament:
- February 7, 2026, 11:00 am: Pakistan vs Netherlands, SSC, Colombo
- February 7, 2026, 3:00 PM: West Indies vs Bangladesh, Kolkata
- February 7, 2026, 7:00 PM: India vs USA, Mumbai
- February 8, 11:00 am: New Zealand vs Afghanistan, Chennai
- February 8, 3:00 pm: England vs Nepal, Mumbai
- February 8, 7:00 pm: Sri Lanka vs Ireland, Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
The tournament will continue with the Super 8 stage, followed by the Semi-Finals and ultimately, the Finals.
India vs. New Zealand Series Schedule
The India vs. New Zealand series will also take place in January, consisting of both One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 (T20) matches. The full schedule is as follows:
- January 11: 1st ODI, Vadodara
- January 14: Second ODI, Rajkot
- January 18: 3rd ODI, Indore
- January 21: 1st T20, Nagpur
- January 23: 2nd T20, Raipur
- January 25: 3rd T20, Guwahati
- January 2: T20 Visakhapatnam
- January 31: 5th T20, Thiruvananthapuram
With a blend of experienced players and emerging talents, India aims to defend its title on home soil and begin its campaign strongly against the USA.