India Drop Shubman Gill for T20 World Cup 2026, Despite Naming Him Vice-Captain Just Months Ago

Along with Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma, India’s squad exclusion features names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel.

India Drop Shubman Gill for T20 World Cup 2026, Despite Naming Him Vice-Captain Just Months Ago

Shubman Gill has been surprisingly left out of India's T20I squad, for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. (via NDTV Sports)

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, to be played from February 7 to March 8. To everyone’s surprise, Shubman Gill, who was appointed vice-captain just a few months ago, has been dropped. 

Shubman Gill has emerged as the face of Indian cricket this year, after being fast-tracked into major leadership positions across all three formats. He was first named as India’s new Test captain in May 2025, replacing Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from red-ball cricket. He once again replaced Sharma as the Men in Blues’ ODI captain prior to the Australia tour in October.

While Gill’s accession to the Test and ODI captaincy has not attracted many detractors, his appointment as India’s T20I vice-captain in August prior to the 2025 Asia Cup, sparked criticism. In 15 T20Is this year, Gill has only accumulated 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike-rate of 137.26, without registering a single fifty, contrary to his 2025 IPL numbers, where he scored 650 runs at an average of 50. 

The 26-year-old’s sustained presence in the T20I setup came under fire after he could only manage 32 runs in three matches against South Africa. Gill missed out on the playing XI for the final T20I against the Proteas due to a foot injury last night, with Sanju Samson replacing him in the role. The 30-year-old, who was in fact India’s first-choice opener before, scored a quick-fire 37 runs off 22 balls, reducing the vice-captain’s chances of making it back into the XI. 

The 15-member squad will also be playing five T20Is against New Zealand in January. Gill has been left out, with Axar Patel replacing him as vice-captain. While Samson is expected to slot in for the 26-year-old in opening, Ishan Kishan has been picked instead. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, upon being questioned about the unexpected choice, noted a preference for a keeper-batter to open the innings for a better team combination. 

It’s more to do with the combination that we want to play… We felt the keeper at the top at this point gives us a lot more solidity than anywhere else in the team to play different combinations.

Coming to Ishan Kishan, the 27-year-old has been rewarded with a place in the T20I World Cup squad following his recent exploits in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, leading Jharkhand to the title. He finished as the highest run-getter, most notably a hundred in the final against Haryana. 

Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan return to India’s T20I squad for World Cup, with aim to defend crown

The 2026 ICC T20 World Cup is just around the corner, with the BCCI having announced a 15-member Indian squad for the much-awaited tournament. The Men in Blue are the defending champions and will be looking to defend their crown as the highest-ranked T20I team in the world. 

Rinku Singh Ishan Kishan return India WC
Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan return to India’s T20I squad, for 2026 World Cup. (via Inside Sport)

Wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh are the two players who have been recalled to the squad. Kishan returns to the Team India fold for the first time in two years, after having last played for the T20I side in November 2023. He replaces vice-captain Shubman Gill, after having enjoyed a record SMAT season, where he hit 517 runs in ten innings, at an average of 57.44 and a strike-rate of 197.32.

Rinku Singh, on the other hand, scored 172 runs in seven innings in the 2025 SMAT for Uttar Pradesh, at an average of 24.57 and a strike-rate of 135.43. However, his capabilities as a finisher, has resulted in his selection for the T20 World Cup, ahead of Jitesh Sharma. He boasts good numbers in the format, with 550 runs in 25 innings at an average of 42.31, and a strike-rate of 161.77. 

The remaining players in the squad are Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.

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