India Squad For T20 World Cup and New Zealand Series To Be Announced On December 20

Mohammad Kaif Urges India to Drop Shubman Gill, Back Sanju Samson as Opener

India set to announce squad for T20 World Cup 2026 and New Zealand series on Saturday.

India’s selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, will gather in Mumbai this Saturday to choose the teams for next year’s New Zealand T20 series and the 2026 T20 World Cup.

The two squads are likely to be very similar, with no big surprises expected. The meeting will also include input from current T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, who is playing against South Africa.

The chosen 15-player World Cup squad must be shared with the ICC ahead of time. However, changes can be made later if players get injured or lose form, even during the tournament with special approval.

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India, co-hosting the event with Sri Lanka, will begin their title defense on February 7 against the USA in Mumbai. Their group stage includes matches in Delhi, Colombo, and Ahmedabad against Namibia, Pakistan, and the Netherlands respectively.

India Squad to be led by SKY

The squad is expected to be led by Suryakumar Yadav, with Shubman Gill as his deputy. However, their current form is a major concern for the title holders. Nevertheless, the selectors will be relying on their leadership skills.

With the likes of Sanju Samson being made to warm the benches despite being India’s top run-getter in T20Is last year, and Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings, there’s pressure on Gill to justify his spot.

This team will aim to defend the title won in 2024, which was followed by the T20 retirements of senior stars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja.

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