Sanju in, Gill out; BCCI announces Twenty20 2026 World Cup squad

MUMBAI: Malayali star Sanju Samson was named in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. Axar Patel is the vice-captain of the 15-member team led by Suryakumar Yadav. Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Ishan Kishan, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah have also been included in the squad.

Vice-captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of the last match against South Africa due to injury. Gill may not make it to the series against New Zealand either. Ishan Kishan's good performance in the Syed Mushtaq Trophy match helped him. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and selector Ajit Agarkar announced the team at a press conference. Sanju will be considered as the first choice wicket keeper.

The team was selected based on its performance in the T20I series against South Africa that concluded yesterday and the Syed Mushtaq Trophy. The World Cup will begin in India and Sri Lanka on February 7, 2026. Defending champions India are in Group A along with Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA. India's first match will be against the United States on February 7.

Before the World Cup, India will go for a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The World Cup team will play in this series. This World Cup will also pose a big challenge for Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of the T20 format. If he fails to retain the title, Suryakumar will have to relinquish his captaincy.