Shubman Gill Omitted, Ishan Kishan Gets The Nod As BCCI Unveils India Squad For Upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 & NZ T20I Series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup and the New Zealand series. The announcement was made by Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, in a press conference at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday.

A couple of shocking moves have been made as Shubman Gill has been omitted from the squad. Even Yashasvi Jaiswal did not find a spot. However, two Indian cricketers whose domestic performance has been solid were rewarded with a spot in the team. 

Shubman Gill Dropped, Ishan Kishan & Rinku Singh Picked As BCCI Name India Squad For T20 World Cup 2026

The BCCI's squad announcement press conference had a delayed start as captain Suryakumar Yadav's flight was delayed due to bad weather. Secretary Devajit Saikia announced the official 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC cricketing spectacle at home.

Some big moves have been made as Shubman Gill is not named in India's line-up. Even Jitesh Sharma has been dropped. Ishan Kishan, whose performance in SMAT carried Jharkhand towards a historic victory, will be back in the Indian fold.

India Squad For The Upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk).

India Squad For The Upcoming New Zealand Series: Same As Above.

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Why Shubman Gill Was Left Out? Ajit Agarkar Explains The Reason

Shubman Gill's omission might be a surprise to the fans. Given that he was the team's vice-captain in T20Is, it seems like a mega shake-up as the Indian opener wasn't at his best lately.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has said that they are focusing on continuity and also mentioned that they wanted a keeper-batter at the top order alongside Abhishek Sharma. Given that they are focusing primarily on the combinations, Gill had to miss out.

Also Read: After 'Grovel' Controversy; South Africa Coach Shukri Conrad Labels Team India as 'Hell of a Side' Ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

“We’re looking at continuity, we want a keeper batting at the top. We know what a quality player Shubman is even though he’s not found runs recently. It’s the combination more than anything else. It’s more about combinations, someone has to miss out,” Ajit Agarkar said at the press conference.

In Shubman Gill's absence, Axar Patel will serve as the vice-captain for the side.