The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to kick off on February 7. The top twenty teams across the world will
fight for the ultimate prize, while the Indian team aims to defend the title successfully and also become the only side to lift the prized silverware on the home soil.
Every edition of the T20 World Cup brings its own surprises and selection calls, and this time it's no different. Despite featuring in 2024, a few big names from the Indian team have failed to keep their places this time around, with Suryakumar Yadav leading a star-studded squad for the upcoming edition.
Here are the top 3 Indian players who played in the 2024 T20 World Cup but are missing in 2026
3. Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Sirajwas part of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 winning squad but finds himself missing out this time around. Despite being a consistent performer across formats, especially red-ball cricket, the Hyderabad-born has faced stiff competition in the bowling department with the emergence of fast-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana.
With team management opting for different skill sets and matchup options, Siraj has been left out of the squad for the home edition of the World Cup. His last T20I appearance was in July 2024 against Sri Lanka, and since then, the experienced campaigner has fallen out of contention in the shortest format for the Men in Blue.
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s absence has raised a few eyebrows, considering he was part of the previous T20 World Cup squad and remains one of the finest young talents India has. The aggressive left-hander was seen as a long-term prospect in the shortest format and also played the backup opening batter to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's pair in the triumphant 2024 edition.
However, inconsistent form and the emergence of other top-order stars like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan have resulted in Jaiswal missing out this time, despite being an active and exciting T20 batter. He played his last T20I against Sri Lanka in July 2024.
1. Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant is the most notable omission among players who featured in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The southpaw was the Indian team's preferred wicketkeeper-batter choice in the previous edition and had featured in all the matches but has not been included in the squad for the upcoming twenty-team tournament.
While Pant has been active and gradually finding his rhythm, the team management appears to have gone with other combinations, leaving out one of India’s most dynamic T20 players. Pant faced a dip in performance and was subsequently dropped from the T20I squad, with Samson and Kishan preferred as the two options ahead of the event taking place at venues across India and Sri Lanka from February 7..
