India Squad Announcement For T20 World Cup Highlights: Shubman Gill Dropped; Axar Picked As VC, Rinku Singh Back In

Welcome, cricket fans! This is the start of our live blog covering India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad announcement. The squad meeting in Mumbai is set to take place at 1:30 PM IST, so stay tuned for live updates as they roll in.

As Ajit Agarkar is expected to squads for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and the upcoming New Zealand series, the focus will squarely be on captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill, who are going through a lukewarm patch of form in the shortest format. However, they will be assured of their places in the 15-member squad, though there's rumours of Gill being replaced by Hardik Pandya as the deputy skipper.

A big question that the selectors will have to deal with is, will they include Sanju Samson in the squad? The Kerala-native has been in good form of late, but has slowly been replaced by Jitesh Sharma in the wicketkeeping duties. Will Agarkar and Co. opt for another back-up keeper this time, or stick with Samson? Ishan Kishan, for one, will be looking in following his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy exploits.

The short answer is: Yes! All nations are permitted to make individual changes in their 15-member squad right until the start of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 tournament on February 7. So, even if a player misses out on the team tonight, they might be called up later in case of injury issues.

Most analysts would scoff at the idea, but can Mohammed Shami get a look-in in India's squad? The 35-year-old has been in great form in domestic cricket, taking 36 wickets in all competitions, and will lead Bengal's squad for the upcoming 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. Still, it would be a seismic call if the veteran pacer does make the 15-man squad.

The India squad announcement for ICC T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for around 1:30pm IST, will be telecast on the Star Sports Network TV channels in India. It will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in the country.

Since the squad can be changed later on, the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member team for the T20 World Cup. For instance, during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Varun Chakravarthy replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal after slow tracks in Dubai were taken into consideration.

Here's a likely 15 that Agarkar and Co might go with:

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar.

Vice-captain Shubman Gill's position has repeatedly come under the scanner while an in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal waits in the wings. It remains to be seen if the selectors name Jaiswal as an extra player for the New Zealand series just to observe him in case he is needed during the T20 World Cup. The reserve opener's slot currently belongs to Sanju Samson.

India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has arrived at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, where the selectors have convened to pick the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, as well as the New Zealand series. The final round of discussions is currently underway, and the press conference will follow shortly.

Broadcaster Star Sports has confirmed that the selection committee meeting, attended by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, has concluded. This means that the press conference with Agarkar and Suryakumar can begin any moment now.

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jaspreet Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk).

A couple of big calls from Ajit Agarkar and the selectors, but the biggest of them is that Shubman Gill has been dropped, and Axar Patel has taken over the role of vice-captain.

"Shubman was the vice-captain, he's not in the team. Axar was the vice-captain when the T20s used to clash," Agarkar said, explaining the choice.

"About continuity, you're looking at combinations. If your keeper is going to bat at the top, you want a keepr who can play there. Jitesh was there, Shubman is a quality player and unfortunate to miss out

"Combinations more than anything else, two keepers at the top. Rinku comes who gives that lower middle order option."

Ishan Kishan has been selected as the backup wicketkeeper, and he has replaced Gill.

Devajit Saikia confirmed that there will be no standby players chosen by the selectors since the entire T20 World Cup will be hosted in India only, so any necessary changes can be prepared in short notice.

Another huge call for Agarkar and co. was choosing Ishan Kishan, with the returning to the national team fold, last playing in T20Is more than two years ago. The wicketkeeper-batter was the highest run-scorer in the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and he has been rewarded for his rich vein of form. He takes the place of Jitesh Sharma, and more controversially, Shubman Gill.