The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially unveiled the 15-member squad for their title defense on home soil. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the defending champions have made some ruthless selection calls—including the high-profile omission of Shubman Gill—to prioritize explosive strike rates and wicketkeeping depth at the top of the order.
Leadership
○ Captain: Suryakumar Yadav
○ Vice-Captain: Axar Patel
○ Head Coach: Gautam Gambhir
Top-Order Batters
○ Abhishek Sharma
○ Sanju Samson (wk)
○ Ishan Kishan (wk)
Middle-Order & Finishers
○ Suryakumar Yadav
○ Tilak Varma
○ Rinku Singh
○ Shivam Dube
All-Rounders
○ Hardik Pandya
○ Axar Patel
○ Washington Sundar
Spinners
○ Kuldeep Yadav
○ Varun Chakaravarthy
Fast Bowlers
○ Jasprit Bumrah
○ Arshdeep Singh
○ Harshit Rana
📅 India Fixtures & Match Schedule
India is placed in Group A and will play their group stage matches across major Indian cities and Colombo.
Feb 7, 2026: vs USA
○ Time: 7:00 PM IST
○ Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Feb 12, 2026: vs Namibia
○ Time: 7:00 PM IST
○ Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Feb 15, 2026: vs Pakistan
○ Time: 7:00 PM IST
○ Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Feb 18, 2026: vs Netherlands
○ Time: 7:00 PM IST
○ Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
⚡ Key Tournament Headlines
-
The Gill Snub: In the most debated move of the selection cycle, former vice-captain Shubman Gill has been dropped from the 15-man squad. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited "combinations" and a lean run of form, opting for the raw aggression of Abhishek Sharma and the wicketkeeping flexibility of Sanju Samson.
-
Kishan’s Return: After nearly two years out of the T20I setup, Ishan Kishan has earned a recall following a record-breaking Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign. He enters the squad as the secondary wicketkeeping option and a potential opening partner for Abhishek Sharma.
-
The Spin King: Varun Chakaravarthy, currently ranked as the World No. 1 T20 bowler, spearheads a spin department that includes Kuldeep Yadav and the defensive precision of Axar Patel.
-
Defending the Crown: This is the first ICC tournament for Suryakumar Yadav as full-time captain. With the final scheduled for Ahmedabad on March 8, the pressure is on the Men in Blue to become the first host nation to win the T20 World Cup.
Comments