India Announces T20 World Cup 2026 Squad: Gill Excluded, Axar Patel as Vice-Captain

New Delhi, Dec 20: Shubman Gill has been left out of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, with his recent T20I form influencing the decision, officials and sources said. The India Test captain has gone 18 T20I innings without a half-century, a drought that has cast doubts over his impact in the shortest format.

Gill’s notable performance came during the 2025 Asia Cup, when he scored 47 off 28 balls against Pakistan, but his overall numbers remain underwhelming. This year, he accumulated 291 runs in 15 innings, with a highest score of 47, averaging 24.25 at a strike rate of 137.26, including five single-digit scores.

However, India captain Suryakumar Yadav clarified that form was not the primary reason for Gill’s omission. He said team combination considerations played a role, with management preferring a wicketkeeper to bat at the top of the order.

The recently concluded T20I series against South Africa did little to strengthen Gill’s case, as he managed scores of 4, 0, and 28, reinforcing concerns over his consistency at the top.

India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad: 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 Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk). (Agencies)