T20 World Cup 2026: Predicting India's strongest playing XI

Team India’s final 15-member squad is out, and some bold calls have been taken by not including the vice-captain, Shubman Gill. Hence, Axar Patel has been named the new deputy to skipper Suryakumar Yadav. But now, what could be the best possible playing XI for the Men in Blue as they look to defend the title they won in 2024? That is the big question.

At the top, the opening pair is likely to be Abhishek Sharma and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson. Tilak Varma should bat at number three. Suryakumar Yadav has been completely out of form with the bat in recent times, but he will still look to get some runs at number four. Then, India will bank on the all-rounders — Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, and Washington Sundar. The two pacers will be Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, followed by a spinner, Varun Chakravarthy.

This could be a playing XI to consider, but there are still some other possible combinations. Many fans might be tempted to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun together; hence, Kuldeep could come in for Washington. However, the only negative point in that case would be that India would then have only seven batting options.

But considering the modern-day template and Gautam Gambhir’s philosophy, he would like to have one more player who can bat a bit. For that, Washington Sundar or Harshit Rana could be the options. When either of them plays, India will have eight batting options (Abhishek, Samson, Tilak, Surya, Hardik, Axar, Shivam, and Washington or Harshit) along with seven bowling options (Arshdeep, Bumrah, Varun, Washington or Harshit, Hardik, Shivam, and Axar).

Hence, there will be more options for Suryakumar Yadav to explore, which could be useful in different situations. Axar Patel’s role will be that of a floater in the batting line-up, depending on the situation. Meanwhile, considering current form and effectiveness in this format, Varun Chakravarthy will be a small step ahead of Kuldeep Yadav if India decides to play only one of their premier spinners.

Here is the predicted India’s strongest playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.

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