3 players not in India's 2026 T20 World Cup squad who played in 2024 ft. Rishabh Pant

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, December 20, announced India’s 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The marquee tournament, set to begin on February 7, will be co-hosted by defending champions India and Sri Lanka.

Suryakumar Yadav will continue as captain of the Men in Blue, marking his first stint as leader in an ICC event. In a major development, vice-captain Shubman Gill has been dropped following his poor form in the shortest format, with Axar Patel appointed as Suryakumar’s deputy.

Jitesh Sharma has also been left out, while Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan returns to the squad after guiding his team to title glory in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Middle-order batter Rinku Singh, who missed the recent South Africa series, has also been included.

India have been drawn in Group A alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, the Netherlands, the United States of America, and Namibia as they aim to become the first team to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title.

India’s 15-member squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan (wk).

The squad features several players from India’s triumphant 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. Notably, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is following that tournament.

Meanwhile, a few players who featured in the 2024 edition have missed out this time. On that note, here’s a look at three players who were part of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad but are absent from the 2026 lineup.

#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal

The first name on the list is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was part of India’s 15-member squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which the team won by defeating South Africa in the final in Barbados. However, Jaiswal did not get a single game during the tournament and spent the entire campaign on the bench.

The left-hander has not played a T20I for India in over a year, with his last appearance in the format coming against Sri Lanka in July 2024. Overall, he has featured in 23 T20Is, scoring 723 runs at an average of 36.15 and an impressive strike rate of 164.31, including five half-centuries and one century.

#2 Rishabh Pant

The second name on the list is wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. The southpaw featured in all eight matches the Men in Blue played during the 2024 T20 World Cup, batting at No. 3. However, he endured a below-par tournament, scoring 171 runs in eight innings at a modest average of 24.42 and a strike rate of 127.61, with a highest score of 42.

Like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pant has not played a T20I in over a year, with his last appearance in the format coming during the Sri Lanka tour in July 2024. Overall, the 28-year-old has appeared in 76 T20Is, amassing 1,209 runs at an average of 23.25 and a strike rate of 127.26, including three half-centuries.

#3 Mohammed Siraj

Right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj is another player who was part of the 2024 T20 World Cup squad but failed to make the cut for the 2026 edition. He featured in three matches during the title-winning campaign in 2024, managing to pick up just one wicket.

Siraj’s last T20I appearance also came on the Sri Lanka tour in 2024, where he played three matches and claimed a solitary wicket. Overall, the 31-year-old has featured in 16 T20Is, taking 14 wickets at an average of 32.28, a strike rate of 24.8, and an economy rate of 7.79, with best figures of 4/17.

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Edited by Dev Sharma