NEW DELHI: India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan said he was pleased after being named in India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.Suryakumar Yadav will captain the 15-member squad for the tournament. Shubman Gill, the T20I vice-captain, was left out due to fitness and form concerns, while Axar Patel has been named deputy.
Kishan returns to the national side as the second wicketkeeper-batter following a strong Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign for Jharkhand, where the team won its first title and he finished as the leading run-scorer.Speaking to news agency ANI, Kishan said, “I am very happy. Also very happy for my domestic team, Jharkhand, on winning their maiden SMAT trophy! Everyone played really well!”Also read: Four Decembers of Ishan Kishan; Double century, dropped, Bhagavad Gita and redemptionThe left-hander last played a T20I for India against Australia in late 2023. In the 2025/26 SMAT, he scored 517 runs in 10 innings at an average of 57.44, with two hundreds and two fifties, including a century in the final against Haryana. He struck at a rate of over 197.The squad was announced on Saturday at the BCCI headquarters by secretary Devajit Saikia, in the presence of captain Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.Addressing the media, Agarkar said Gill was omitted as India was looking at different options at the top of the order. He also said Gill remains a champion player.India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026 and New Zealand T20I series: 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).
