The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced India’s squad for the upcoming T20I tours of Ireland and England, and the selection signals the start of a new chapter in the team’s white-ball journey. While the core of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad remains intact, the latest squad includes a new captain, several new faces, and the absence of a few iconic stars.
Shreyas Iyer has been made captain in place of Surya Kumar Yadav.
Perhaps the biggest change is at the top. Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as India’s new T20I captain, taking over from Surya Kumar Yadav, who led India to victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The move marks the beginning of a new era of leadership as India begins preparations for the 2028 T20 World Cup.Tilak Verma has also been handed the vice-captaincy, underscoring the management’s faith in the young left-hander as a future leader.
Six new faces, six big exits
India have made six major changes to their T20 World Cup squad.Players who were included in the World Cup setup but are absent from the Ireland and England tour squads include Surya Kumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Rinku Singh. While Bumrah and Hardik have been rested and managed with long-term fitness goals in mind.Among the upcoming players are Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav and young sensation Vibhu Suryavanshi.
Vibhu Suryavanshi headlines the new-look squad.
No choice has generated more excitement than Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals batsman has completed the most remarkable rise in the history of Indian cricket. After dominating the U-19 World Cup and building up to a sensational IPL 2026 season, Suryavanshi has earned his first senior India call-up. The left-handed prodigy scored 776 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 237.30 during IPL 2026 and is now on course to become the youngest ever player to represent the Indian men’s team.
India’s T20 World Cup Squad 2026
Suriya Kumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dubey, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arsdeep Singh, Jaspreet Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh, Mohammad Siraj (Siraj).
India’s T20I squad for Ireland and England
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivum Dubey, Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakraborty, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arsdeep Singh, Prince Yehudeep Singh, Prince Yehudeep Singh
