India T20 World Cup 2026 squad announcement live: Agarkar explains why Shubman Gill was dropped! Ishan Kishan in, Rinku returns

India announces T20 World Cup 2026 squad and New Zealand T20 series: Shubman Gill left out, Ishan Kishan returns!

“Obviously he (Gill) has been short of runs and since he wasn’t picked, we needed a vice-captain,”

“I’ll give Agarkar and selection 10 out of 10. This is not the end of the road (for Gill). This is a situation where combination has been seen first. I’m so happy that Rinku is there in the team, and with him Ishan Kishan is returning. He could be the possible player in the reckoning, we were looking at them in standby but they get the chance. They’re in form, you can’t take Jitesh when you need someone at 7-8. If a quality player like Shubman is not there, you need a power-packed player and a wicketkeeper at the top of the order. Axar Patel as a vice-captain is a great decision.”

The same squad will play the @IDFCFIRSTBank 5-match T20I series against New Zealand in January.#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ https://t.co/o94Vdqo8j5

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 20, 2025

Good news for fans! Ishan kishan has named in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 and New Zealand T20 series, marking his return to the national setup.

BIG shock as vice-captain Shubman Gill is dropped from T20 World Cup 2026 squad and New Zealand series.

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK)

The press conference has been slightly postponed due to SKY’s delayed arrival, but it shouldn’t be too far off. A live stream demonstrating the setup of the microphones and cameras is being used to prepare the press room. We should receive confirmation shortly.

India vs USA

On February 7 2026, Team India will play their first fixture against United States of America (USA) in Mumbai at 7:00 PM.

India vs Namibia

Team India will play their next match against the new team in the tournament Namibia on February 12 in Delhi at 7:00 PM.

India vs Pakistan

Next they will be play against their arch-rivals Pakistan. This match will be one of the greatest ever in the tournament. This fixture will be played on February 15 in Colombo at 7:00 PM.

India vs Netherlands

Team India will play their last match against Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18 at 7:00 PM.

Group A: India, USA, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan
Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, Nepal
Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE

Ahmedabad to host final, with Kolkata and Mumbai named as the venues for the semifinals; Colombo alternative venue for the final and one semifinal

Team India New T20 Jersey pic.twitter.com/9vLBTO4fZi

— Vaibhav Bhola 🇮🇳 (@VibhuBhola) December 3, 2025

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar

The Senior Men’s Selection Committee is set to announce India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. The selection meeting was followed by a press conference addressed by captain Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Stay tuned for live updates, squad details, and key reactions.

Hello, good afternoon, and welcome to CricketCountry’s live coverage of the India T20 World Cup 2026 squad announcement.

Srijal Upadhyay, this side is ready to bring you live updates of the squad.