T20 World Cup 2026: Strongest India playing XI
Following winning the T20 World Cup title in 2024, the Indian team is all set to defend their title in just a few days, and this time the responsibility will rest on Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir. The 10th edition of the tournament will start on February 7. So far, India has not lost any bilateral series or multinational tournament under them. But this will be the biggest task. The tournament will be held at home and in Sri Lankan conditions. And everyone has a lot of expectations from this team.
The Indian team is kept in Group A along with the United States of America, Namibia, and archrivals Pakistan and the Netherlands. The men in blue will start their campaign against the USA on February 07, followed by Namibia on February 12, Pakistan on February 15, and the Netherlands on February 18.
India was the first team to announce their 15-member squad for the tournament. The team is looking very strong and solid, and if they play to their potential, no team will be around them during the tournament. The squad is very balanced with 3 batters, 2 wicket-keepers, 5 all-rounders, and 5 bowlers.
However, opener Sanju Samson underperformed in the last T20I series, which led to him missing a couple of opening games. The only major weak link appeared at the moment. But fortunately, Ishan Kishan scored a lot of runs, including a century and a half-century, making him a perfect candidate for the opening slot with Abhishek Sharma. Tilak Varma has also returned to the India squad, featured in the warm-up game against the USA for India-A, where he scored 38 off 24. He played at 3, which confirms that he will play at this batting position in the World Cup. Then, skipper Suryakumar Yadav will bat. The Indian captain is also returning to his form. Against New Zealand, he scored 242 runs in 5 matches, including 3 half-centuries.
Following this, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube will feature, and they also assist with fast-bowling all-rounders in the playing XI. Rinku Singh will feature as a finisher at 7. All eyes will be on another all-rounder, Washington Sundar’s recovery timeline, as his availability could lead to his inclusion in the playing XI over Rinku Singh. He was getting injured during the 3rd ODI against New Zealand. India’s vice captain, Axar Patel, will bat at 8. He will also be seen handling the spin department alongside mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh will be the two pacers. Against the New Zealand T20I series, Bumrah was not looking in his rhythm. He took only 4 wickets in 4 matches and conceded the runs with an economy rate of 9.47, while his bowling partner Arshdeep Singh took 8 wickets, but he also conceded the runs with an economy rate of 10.50. The fact that both of India's fast bowlers proved to be so expensive is certainly a cause for concern. The duo played a major role in India's 2024 World Cup glory, and they will have to gain their rhythm ahead of the upcoming season.
Strongest India playing XI
Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
Bench: Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar
