5 Indian players who might miss out on the T20 World Cup 2026 squad

India and Sri Lanka are going to host the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, from February 7 to March 8, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue became the champions in the 2024 edition, and now, they will look to defend the title. 

For that, India currently has 10 T20Is for preparation, two five-match T20I series against South Africa and New Zealand at home. On December 3, 2025, the squad for the South Africa series was announced, and the significant names missing from that list might also miss the upcoming T20 World Cup. 

With only 10 matches left, less experimentation is expected as the core squad needs to be ready before a World Cup. Based on that, it seems certain players could miss out.

Here are the 5 Indian players who might miss out on the T20 World Cup 2026 squad

1. Ishan Kishan

This wicketkeeper-batter has not managed a place in the upcoming home T20I series against South Africa despite scoring runs in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (unbeaten 113 against Tripura and 93 against Saurashtra) for Jharkhand. Ishan Kishan last played a T20I in November 2023. 

It seems the current team management has moved ahead of him with options like Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma, while other backups like Rishabh Pant are also available for consideration. In 32 T20Is, Kishan has 796 runs at a strike rate of 124.37.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Indian fans are often surprised with the team India management for not considering this explosive opening batter in the shortest format. Over the last few years in the IPL, Yashasvi Jaiswal has shown how destructive he can be for the Rajasthan Royals (RR). 

But his last T20I was in July 2024. Since then, despite being a settled Test opener and getting a few ODI chances, Jaiswal has failed to make a T20I comeback. Even for the upcoming home T20I series against South Africa, he has been left out despite currently playing the home ODI series against the same side. 

It seems the team management is putting faith in the opening pair of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, with Sanju Samson as another backup option. In 22 T20I innings, Jaiswal has 723 runs at a strike rate of 164.31, including five fifties and one century.

3. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings skipper, roared in Raipur after notching up his maiden ODI century, a knock that looked like a statement to the selectors. But in T20Is, he has yet to settle his place despite scoring 633 runs in 20 innings at a strike rate of 143.53, including four fifties and one century. 

That ton came against Australia in 2023. In 2024, in three T20I innings, he averaged 66.50 with a strike rate of 158.33. Still, since July 2024, he has not been included in the T20I setup.

4. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj is a regular for India in Tests and ODIs, but when it comes to T20Is, he has struggled to cement his place. He might also miss the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup squad, even though he was part of the 2024 World Cup-winning team. 

After July 2024, he has not played a single T20I. In 16 T20I innings, he has 14 wickets at an economy of 7.79. It seems the team management is putting more faith in younger bowlers like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, along with veterans like Jasprit Bumrah.

5. Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has struggled for consistency in T20Is despite being an explosive wicketkeeper-batter with a range of unique shots. Whether for India or in the IPL, he has not found the rhythm needed to be a regular in the shortest format. Pant has played 76 T20Is, scoring 66 innings at an average of 23.25 and a strike rate of 127.26. 

Since July 2024, he has not been considered in this format, with the management showing more faith in Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. Notably, Pant was part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad, but as things stand, he might not be considered for the title defence

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