The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee recently picked a 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka next year. India have some reliable finishers in their ranks, but it will be interesting to see how many of them will actually get a chance in the playing XI during the marquee event.
Let's take a look at three players who can perform the finisher's role for India in T20 World Cup 2026:
Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh made a comeback to India's T20 setup after being snubbed for the five-match series against South Africa. The Uttar Pradesh batter
is a proper finisher, who knows when to dig deep and when to up the ante. His unforgettable knock for KKR against the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023, when he hit Yash Dayal for five sixes in the last over in the chase, remains etched in the cricket folklore.
Time and again, Rinku has shown that he has nerves of steel and that will hold him in strong stead in the T20 World Cup. However, he might have to wait for his chance in the playing XI, as the ones who have been previously associated with the side will be given a go before him.
Shivam Dube
While Shivam Dube usually bats in the middle-order for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, he has mostly been used by India's head coach Gautam Gambhir in the lower-order. It has to be said that the Mumbai all-rounder has not been able to cement his place in the side with his performance with the bat so far, but his ability to bowl slow medium pace and come in handy.
Dube should be given a few opportunities to showcase his batting skills in the impending five-match T20I series against New Zealand. If the 32-year-old can play a couple of handy knocks, it will do his confidence a world of good.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is the No. 1 finisher in the Indian white-ball setup at the moment. He is also in the form of his life with the bat. The Baroda all-rounder smashed 142 runs in three innings against the Proteas recently.
Hardik's mind works as a computer while chasing totals, and his tremendous self-belief also makes stiff targets look easier. When he gets going, he makes the best bowlers in world cricket look pedestrian. During the last edition of the T20 World Cup, Hardik was one of the standout performers as India lifted the title for the second time. HE would love to repeat his heroics in the 10th edition of the tournament.
