Mumbai: India have made significant changes to their 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, with vice-captain Shubman Gill missing out and in-form wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan earning a recall to the top order. Kishan, who dominated the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 517 runs at an explosive strike rate of nearly 200, is set to open the innings, marking a notable shift in India’s batting combination.
The new structure has also paved the way for the return of middle-order finisher Rinku Singh, who had been absent from recent T20I lineups. To accommodate Kishan and Rinku, India have opted to leave out Jitesh Sharma, who had been their first-choice wicketkeeper in recent series.
With Gill’s exclusion, allrounder Axar Patel steps up as the team’s vice-captain, supporting skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The rest of the squad remains largely as expected, featuring pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah alongside Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana as the primary fast-bowling options. The spin attack is led by Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, with Axar and Washington Sundar providing spin-bowling depth and batting flexibility.
Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube will continue to anchor the seam-bowling allrounder roles, complementing a power-heavy middle order of Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh. Abhishek Sharma, Kishan, and Sanju Samson complete the batting lineup. The same squad will feature in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
Gill’s recent T20I record has been modest, with 291 runs from 15 innings at a strike rate of 137.26 and no half-centuries. However, captain Suryakumar Yadav clarified that form was not the deciding factor. “It’s not about Gill’s performance. We wanted to have a keeper at the top and include players like Rinku or Washington later in the order to create different winning combinations,” Suryakumar said.
India’s Squad for T20 World Cup and New Zealand T20Is:
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk).