Mumbai, December 20, 2025: Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh have been included in India’s 15-member squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup and the five-match T20I series against New Zealand scheduled ahead of the global tournament next year. Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed captain of the side, with Axar Patel named vice-captain.
The selection has drawn attention due to the omission of Shubman Gill and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma. Gill, who served as vice-captain during the recent T20I series against South Africa, misses out after an inconsistent year in the shortest format. He had also been ruled out of the final two T20Is against South Africa following a foot injury sustained during net practice in Lucknow.
The squad was announced on Saturday at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai in the presence of BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, captain Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
India’s batting unit boasts several aggressive options, including Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh. The all-rounders’ department will be led by Hardik Pandya, who recently smashed a 63 off just 25 balls in the final T20I in Ahmedabad, along with Axar Patel, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar.
The pace attack will be spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, while the spin responsibilities will be handled by Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
As part of their preparations to defend the T20 World Cup title, India will face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series from January 21 to January 31. The teams will also contest a three-match ODI series from January 11 to January 18, with the ODI squad set to be announced separately.
