T20 World Cup 2026: Indian-Origin Stars Who Can Shine For Their Countries At 'Home'

Led by Canada and the USA, an army of more than three dozen Indian-origin cricketers will get the chance to perform on the “home stage” when the T20 World Cup begins in India and Sri Lanka on February 7.

For Mumbai-born USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar, playing against India at the Wankhede Stadium represents a full-circle moment. Though he could not play for the country of his birth, he is looking forward to an emotional return to the ground where he developed his cricketing skills.

Phagwara-born Italy pacer Jaspreet Singh also eagerly anticipates playing top-flight cricket in the country he left as a teenager. Netherlands off-spinner Aryan Dutt, though not born in India, cherishes the opportunity to play in the country where cricket is revered

like nowhere else.

Among the 20 teams participating in the ICC event, Canada has the most Indian-origin players (11), followed by the USA (9), Oman (7), and the UAE (7).

While hosts India are expected to defend their title at home, players of Indian heritage will feature prominently in many of the participating teams.

Here are some cricketers of Indian heritage who could make a significant impact in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026:

Saurabh Netravalkar

The USA left-arm pacer, who played U-19 cricket for India, has arrived in Mumbai for the World Cup opener against the home team, having proven himself on the global stage in the tournament’s previous edition.

The 34-year-old cricketer-cum-software engineer was instrumental in USA’s successful campaign in the 2024 edition, where the debutants upset teams like Pakistan to qualify for the Super 8 stage.

Netravalkar is eager to perform on the challenging pitches of India, but for starters, he will try to keep his emotions in check when he faces his former Mumbai teammate Suryakumar Yadav at Wankhede on February 7.

“I wouldn’t know how I would react there. But it is an emotional moment, for sure. Kind of like a full circle moment because I started playing cricket in Mumbai and gave up on the sport and moved to the US and never even expected to play cricket again. International (cricket) wasn’t even a thought,” he told PTI.

Monank Patel

USA’s captain in the tournament-opener against India is Anand-born Monank Patel, who also made his mark on the World Cup stage with a match-winning half-century against Pakistan.

The 32-year-old opening batter looks forward to facing his Gujarat U-19 teammate Jasprit Bumrah, reminiscing about their younger days off the field. Bumrah has become arguably the best fast bowler in the world, and Monank saw that potential in him as a teenager.

“We played both red-ball and white-ball cricket, and those were really special times. It was the early stage of my cricketing journey, and even back then, the way we were playing, especially the way Jasprit was performing, we knew he had that X-factor and that he would definitely go on to do something great,” said Monank.

Jaspreet Singh

With Italy making their World Cup debut, Phagwara-born Jaspreet Singh will receive extra attention.

The 32-year-old moved to a town near Milan with his family in 2006. He began his cricketing journey in his adopted homeland with tape-ball cricket before advancing to red-ball cricket in 2016-17, leading to his international debut in 2019.

Playing in an ICC event is a dream come true for the pacer, who worked as an Uber driver not too long ago to make ends meet.

Aryan Dutt

Aryan Dutt already has experience playing in front of Indian fans during the ODI World Cup in 2023. The sole cricketer of Indian lineage in the Netherlands squad, the 22-year-old aims to surprise the higher-ranked teams in the competition.

Dutt’s family moved to the Netherlands from Punjab in the 1980s. He still has extended family in the Indian state.

Dilpreet Bajwa

Gurdaspur-born Bajwa moved to Canada in 2020, and six years later, he returns to India as captain of the North American outfit.

Despite scoring heavily in age-group cricket in Punjab, Bajwa did not receive the opportunities he hoped for and became accustomed to rejection.

However, he persevered and continued his cricketing journey in a less competitive environment. Success in the Canada Global T20 League fast-tracked him into the national team, and he has not looked back.

The 23-year-old participated in Canada’s campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and two years later, he finds himself playing in an ICC event in the country of his birth, evoking mixed emotions.

Jatinder Singh

Like Bajwa, Ludhiana-born Jatinder Singh will have the honour of captaining the side of his chosen homeland. The 36-year-old Oman captain has been around for more than a decade but has never had the opportunity to play in India.

However, with all of Oman’s league fixtures scheduled in Sri Lanka, it is unlikely that Jatinder will realise his dream of playing in his native land.

(With inputs from Agencies)