The T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, brings 20 teams to eight venues for intense battles.
India, as defending champions, are the favourites, while the likes of Australia, England, South Africa are also strong contenders.
As the World Cup begins in a week, the teams have confirmed their squads for the tournament. Italy are also making their cricketing World Cup debut in the tournament, while there is no Bangladesh in this World Cup after they were replaced by ICC following unavoidable circumstances.
The missing stars in T20 World Cup 2026
With squads now locked in, notable stars sit out due to retirements, poor recent form, injuries, or tough selection choices, and retirements. A number of big names are set to miss out, and here are the
six names-
Rohit Sharma (India)
Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after leading India to the 2024 title win. The dynamic opener's exit robs India of explosive starts and leadership depth. He became the third Indian captain to win an ICC World Cup for India, after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni.
In T20 World Cups, he featured in 47 matches, amassing 1,220 runs at 34.86 average and 133.04 strike rate, including 12 fifties and a top score of 92. Rohit captained in 14 games with 12 wins, scoring 257 runs in the unbeaten 2024 run.
Virat Kohli (India)
Virat Kohli ended his T20I career post the 2024 final, earning Player of the Match for his match-winning knock. His absence dims India's chase mastery in big games. Across 35 T20 WC outings, he scored 1,292 runs at 58.73 average and 128.81 strike rate, with 15 fifties and a best of 89*; he set the single-edition record (319 runs in 2014) and won Player of the Tournament twice.
Shubman Gill (India)
Shubman Gill, now Test and ODI captain, got surprisingly dropped from India's 2026 squad despite recent vice-captaincy, as selectors favored Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh for top-order aggression and balance. Yet to play a T20 World Cup (reserve in 2024), his T20I record stands at 869 runs with a 138.59 strike rate; recent form (291 runs in 15 innings at 137.26 SR) factored into the call amid India's push for Syed Mushtaq Ali standouts.
Liam Livingstone (England)
England omitted all-rounder Liam Livingstone from their provisional squad under Harry Brook, citing a prolonged form dip since his last T20I in February 2025 against India. In T20 WCs, he played across editions including 2022's title win, grabbing 12 wickets and scoring 55 runs in six games as a key finisher. He played a key part in England's T20 World Cup title in the 2022 edition.
Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
Pakistan's former captain Mohammad Rizwan has been omitted from the T20 World Cup squad after a series of underwhelming performances. Rizwan has been ousted from the team for some time now, and didn't make it to the squad as they look to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup matches. Babar Azam is part of the Pakistan squad though, which is being led by Salman Ali Agha.
Andre Russell (West Indies)
West Indies legend Andre Russell is also not a part of the T20 World Cup this year after his retirement from international cricket. Russell has been a connoisseur in T20 cricket and his absence is a big blow for the Windies. The Kolkata Knight Riders legend has also hung his boots in the IPL, now working as the 'Power Coach' for KKR in the IPL 2026.
