Axar Patel named as Suryakumar Yadav's new deputy for T20 World Cup, in place of Shubman Gill
Ishan Kishan makes India comeback after Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy heroics
Same 15-member team selected for upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand
The 15-member India squad selected on Saturday (December 20, 2025) for the 2026 T20 World Cup threw up a number of surprises. The most prominent change was the naming of Axar Patel as Suryakumar Yadav's new deputy in place of Shubman Gill.
Though chief selector Ajit Agarkar was quick to point out that Axar had essayed the role of India vice-captain before, the switch still was unexpected for many experts, including Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar.
Let us take a look at all the major talking points from the Indian squads picked for the T20 World Cup as well as the upcoming New Zealand series:
Shubman Gill's Omission
Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, who had also served as India’s T20I vice-captain for much of the previous cycle, missed out after a poor run of scores in the shortest format. Explaining the 26-year-old's absence from the squad, Agarkar said: “We know what a quality player he is, but, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment.
“It’s unfortunate to have missed out in the last World Cup as well because we went with different combinations. But it's the combinations more than anything else...Someone has to miss out when you pick 15 and unfortunately, it's Gill at this point." Suryakumar added: "It’s not about Gill’s form. We wanted to have a keeper at the top."
Axar Patel Elevated To Vice-Captaincy
With Gill not in the picture, spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel earned a promotion. Agarkar said: "Shubman was the vice-captain, but he's not in the team, so someone else had to be vice-captain. Before, when Shubman was not playing T20Is and was playing Test cricket, Axar was the vice-captain."
Axar was the deputy when India faced England in a five-match T20I series, earlier in 2025.
Domestic Glory Sparks Ishan Kishan Comeback
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was out of favour from the Indian side for quite some time, but his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy heroics propelled him back into the reckoning. The Jharkhand skipper led from the front as his team lifted its maiden SMAT title, amassing a tournament-high 517 runs at a strike rate of 197.32.
Kishan was named as the second wicket-keeper after Sanju Samson, with Jitesh Sharma missing out.
Rinku Singh's Finishing Role
Also making a comeback to the Indian side was the hard-hitting southpaw Rinku Singh. The 28-year-old was not part of India's plans for the South Africa T20Is, and his reinstatement for the World Cup establishes the team's commitment to a specialist finisher who can absorb pressure and explode at the death.
Suryakumar Yadav's Batting Woes
Apart from Gill, the only batter whose form has been a concern is the captain himself. SKY had scores of 12, 5, 12 and 5 in the four completed T20Is against the Proteas, and averages a dismal 13.62 over 21 matches in the past 12 months.
The 35-year-old admitted as much in the media conference, saying that his lean patch had gone on for too long. "You will see Surya the batter. Everyone has gone through such a phase, just that mine has gone a bit longer," he stated.
No Stand By Policy
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that no standby players were 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. All teams can make modifications to their T20 World Cup squads until January 31.
Squad For New Zealand Series
The same 15-member team was selected for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which starts in Vadodara on January 11. The series will help India gear up for the 20-over showpiece in February co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Therefore, trying out the combination picked for the World Cup in the preceding tour made sense for the team management.
India Squad For T20 World Cup and New Zealand Series
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).
