Ishan Kishan included, Shubman Gill dropped in India’s T20 World Cup squad

Shubman Gill has been left out of India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced a 15-member team for the tournament, scheduled to be held from February 7 to March 8.

Axar Patel has been appointed vice-captain, while Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh have been recalled following their performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The BCCI also confirmed that the same squad will play the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from January 21 to 31.

The squad was finalised at a meeting of the BCCI Senior Men’s Selection Committee at its Mumbai headquarters. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced the selections at a press conference, after which captain Suryakumar Yadav and selection committee chair Ajit Agarkar addressed the media.

Gill dropped after poor T20 returns

Gill’s omission follows a below-par run in T20Is. The right-hander scored 291 runs from 15 matches this year at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26, failing to register a half-century. He also missed the final two T20Is against South Africa due to a foot injury, after managing 32 runs from three innings in the series.

While Gill remains a key player in Tests and ODIs, the selectors opted to move on from him in the shortest format.

Kishan recalled, Jitesh out

Kishan returns to the T20I setup for the first time since November 2023. He finished as the leading run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 517 runs from 10 innings at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate of 197.32, including a century in the final for Jharkhand.

Kishan will serve as the second wicketkeeper alongside Sanju Samson, who recently crossed 1,000 T20I runs. Jitesh Sharma was dropped after limited returns in the series against South Africa.

Rinku back, Abhishek set for debut

Rinku Singh has also been recalled after missing out on the 2024 T20 World Cup squad. In 35 T20Is, the left-hander has scored 550 runs at an average of 42.30 and a strike rate of 161.76.

Abhishek Sharma is set to make his first T20 World Cup appearance. The opener has been in strong form since his debut and earlier this year became the fastest Indian to reach 1,000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced. He was also India’s leading run-scorer in the Asia Cup in the UAE.

Pace and spin attack retained

India’s pace unit will be led by Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, with Harshit Rana included after impressing against South Africa. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy headline the spin attack, with Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube providing all-round depth.

World Cup build-up

India head into the tournament after a 3–1 T20I series win over South Africa and will continue preparations during the New Zealand series.

India begin their T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 against the United States at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

India squad for T20 World Cup & T20Is vs New Zealand

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan