Mumbai, December 20, 2025: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with top-order batter Shubman Gill notably missing from the lineup.
Gill, who returned to India’s T20I setup in September, has struggled in the shortest format, scoring 291 runs in 15 innings at an average of just 22.38. His highest score in the period came in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup Super Four clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, where he made 47 runs in India’s six-wicket win.
The batter’s difficulties continued during India’s recently concluded five-match T20I series against South Africa at home, where he managed scores of four, zero, and 28 in the first three fixtures. He was subsequently dropped from the final game, while the penultimate fixture was abandoned due to fog. Alongside Gill, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, who featured in the South Africa series, was also left out.
India enter the 20-team mega-event as defending champions and will kick off their campaign against the United States on February 7. They will then face Namibia on February 12, arch-rivals Pakistan on February 15, and conclude the group stage against the Netherlands on February 8. The tournament will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, 2026.
India T20 World Cup 2026 squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
The omission of Gill signals India’s cautious approach, prioritizing players in form and seeking a balanced combination for the defense of their T20 crown.
