India’s selection panel has been unusually active in 2026. Here’s a consolidated look at the players who have found themselves on the outside.
T20I Squad Changes
- Suryakumar Yadav: dropped as captain and from the squad entirely in June, detailed in our full update
- Shubman Gill: excluded from T20I squads for Ireland, England and the Asian Games
- Rinku Singh: left out of the same three squads despite solid IPL and T20I numbers, covered in our Rinku Singh piece
Dropped From the Playing XI Mid-Series
Sanju Samson was dropped from the XI during the England leg of the July tour after scoring just six runs in three innings, with teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi preferred in his place. Full context is in our Samson update.
Wicketkeeping Casualty
Jitesh Sharma, India’s first-choice T20I wicketkeeper for much of the preceding year, missed out on the 2026 T20 World Cup squad entirely when selectors opted for Ishan Kishan at the top of the order instead.
What Connects These Decisions
Every one of these calls reflects the same underlying theme: an extremely deep talent pool giving selectors room to prioritise team balance and long-term planning over reputation or recent form alone, a dynamic explored fully in our piece on 2026’s biggest selection controversies.