Many members of the Indian team winning the 2024 edition are no longer part of the 2026 team
The ICC T20 World Cup is less than two weeks away, and all teams, including our Men in Blue, are set to participate in the tourney. For the record, India goes into the tournament as the defending nation, having won the last edition, i.e., the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy, under the then captain Rohit Sharma. However, in the last two years, the team has undergone a transitional phase, as a result of which several World Cup-winning players are no longer part of the squad.
Ahead of the tournament, let us take a look at India’s winning team vs. India’s defending team.
Indian T20 World Cup-winning squad
(Credit- News18)
The 2024 squad comprised Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohd. Siraj. Four players, such as Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan, were part of the reserve team.
Best performers in 2024
With the willow
In 2024, Rohit Sharma was the top scorer from the Indian side, scoring 257 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.70. He also scored three fifties throughout the tournament. Sharma also scored 92 runs in a match, which became the third-highest individual score in that edition.
(Credit- ESPNcricinfo)
Other top performers with the Willow were Suryakumar Yadav with 199 runs in eight matches and Rishabh Pant with 171 runs in eight games. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya scored 151 and 144 runs, respectively, in the mentioned number of matches.
With the ball
(Credit- News9live)
When it comes to bowling performances, Arshdeep Singh was the edition’s second-highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in eight matches, including a best of 4/9 and an economy of 7.16. Tailing him in third position was Jasprit Bumrah with a far better economy of 4.17, but he picked up 15 wickets. Hardik Pandya was also decent with the ball, grabbing 11 wickets, whereas Kuldeep Yadav took 10 wickets throughout the tournament.
India’s squad for 2026
For the upcoming World Cup, the Indian squad comprises Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Rinku Singh.
Differences in squads
From the 2024 squad, players such as Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mohd. Siraj are not part of the 2026 squad.
Players who have come in to replace the above-mentioned players are Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Washington Sundar.
Players are common to both squads
The players who found a place because of their consistency and impact value in both squads are Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rinku Singh.
Given the present squad has too many Indian stars, expectations will be high for the majority of the lot. In fact, experts believe India can defend their title if they do not lose their focus and keep the pressure on opponents.
