T20 World Cup 2026 Best First-choice Playing 11 for Team India

With Suryakumar Yadav as Captain, explore the best possible playing 11 for Team India for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Team India’s last T20 series is going on, and all eyes are on the Indian team’s playing 11 combination, which they are almost finalising in the New Zealand T20 series. We are left with only a few T20Is and a few warm-up matches, before India officially kicks-off the campaign for the T20 World Cup 2026. The madness is already visible in the Indian team, and given the strength of this Indian team, the fans are eagerly waiting as India defend the trophy 

However, the Indian team isn’t without 0 issues at the moment. The team is facing injury problems with Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar, and that is clearly affecting their strongest first-choice playing 11. While India haven’t announced any replacements for them as they are hopeful of their recoveries, we may see Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi as potential replacements in case these two are ruled out of the squad. 

However, India may not like either Tilak Varma or Washington Sundar getting ruled out of the squad. The team may wait until the Group stage matches before they actually take a call on their replacements. But how does the overall best playing 11 look like for Team India, Well, with just a few matches to go, let’s look at the best possible playing 11 for Team India for the T20 World Cup 2026.

T20 World Cup 2026 Full Squad and Players List for Team India 

Batters & WKs

1. Abhishek Sharma
2. Rinku Singh
3. Suryakumar Yadav (c)
4. Tilak Varma
5. Ishan Kishan (wk)
6. Sanju Samson (wk)

All-rounders

1. Axar Patel (vc)
2. Hardik Pandya
3. Shivam Dube
4. Washington Sundar

Bowlers

1. Arshdeep Singh
2. Harshit Rana
3. Jasprit Burmah
4. Kuldeep Yadav
5. Varun Chakravarthy

T20 World Cup 2026 Best Possible Playing 11 for Team India

Ishan Kishan’s scintillating return to International Cricket may spark a debate on whether to play him, or have Sanju Samson opening the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma. Until yesterday, this was a non-debatable point, but Kishan’s comeback and Sanju Samson’s lack of form have turned the tide in just one match. So, now the upcoming 3 T20Is and warm-up matches become equally important for Team India.

But will Ishan Kishan’s one knock change Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav’s minds? Are the Coach and Captain duo so short-sighted in their thinking that they drop the opener for lack of runs, after he has performed so well in T20Is off-late? Well, ideally, they shouldn’t and they won’t either. Sanju has been India’s primary opener for over a year now. So, while form is temporary,  Sanju has been really good as an opener. So, expect India to stick to Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as openers.

Now, with the big headache of opening combination, another one that India may face is on Tilak Varma. Tilak is currently under medical surveillance and is recovering from his injury. If Tilak is fit, he walks back into the team as the first-choice player at 3, and SKY at 4. However, in case he is ruled out, we may see Ishan Kishan at 3, and Sanju Samson opening for sure. If India opt for otherwise, we may see Shreyaas Iyer at 4 and Suryakumar Yadav at 3 then.

Rinku Singh vs Washington Sundar

Coming to the middle-order, India are likely to be flexible in the batting order. Given Rinku’s stunning return to form, he should be ahead in the team. In terms of batting order, expect Hardik to come at 5 if quick runs are needed. Whereas Axar may come ahead if India lose quick wickets. Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh may play the role of finishers at 7 and 8, respectively. If quick runs are needed, we may as well have Dube and Rinku batting above Axar. 

Whatever the case, this is the strongest batting order among all teams in the competition, and there is absolutely no doubt about it. This is a dangerous batting lineup that can score 250+ regularly, and can also prepare for a worst-case batting collapse. However, having said that, you still need that luck by your side if you were to win the tournament. If that is beside the team, only Australia look like a worthy competitor to this Indian team.

Finally, talk about the bowling lineup, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy are sure-shot leaders, with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel playing a supporting role. India may alternate between Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy depending on the pitch condition, but ideally, Arshdeep Singh may start, with Kuldeep coming in for a few matches. This is also one of the strongest bowling attacks in the competition.

T20 World Cup 2026 Strongest Playing XI for Team India

1. Sanju Samson (wk)
2. Abhishek Sharma
3. Tilak Varma
4. Suryakumar Yadav (c)
5. Axar Patel
6. Hardik Pandya
7. Rinku Singh
8. Shivam Dube
9. Arshdeep Singh
10. Jasprit Bumrah
11. Varun Chakravarthy

So, that’s about the best possible playing 11 for Team India for the T20 World Cup 2026. Overall, India have one of the most dangerous sides in the competition, and such is the strength of the squad that Gautam Gambhir does not have to do anything as Coach, as the team runs in autopilot mode. It goes without saying that, India have all the potential to become the first team to defend at the title, and that too at home. 

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