Why did the BCCI not select any standby or reserve players?: The Indian cricket team for the T20 World Cup 2026 was announced on Saturday. This 15-member team will also play a 5-match T20 series against New Zealand in January. This series will begin on January 21, 2026.
The T20 World Cup 2026 will commence on February 7. While the World Cup squad was announced, the BCCI did not announce the names of standby or reserve players. This has raised questions about why the board chose to do so.
BCCI Explains Decision to Skip Standby Players for T20 World Cup
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BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia, who addressed the press conference after the selection, answered this question. Saikia explained, “The T20 World Cup is being held in our own country, so if needed, a replacement player can be announced at any time. That is why we have not announced any reserve players.” It’s worth noting that India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the tournament.
For major tournaments, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) usually announces the names of reserve or standby players. If a player gets injured during the tournament or is unable to continue playing for any other reason, the reserve players are included in the squad. If the T20 World Cup were being held far away from India, the BCCI would have announced the names of reserve players to save travel time.
Indian Squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, and Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper).
India’s Schedule in T20 World Cup 2026
- February 7: India vs USA
- February 12: India vs Namibia
- February 15: India vs Pakistan
- February 18: India vs Netherlands
Also Read: T20I Record: Hardik Pandya Becomes 3rd Indian to Claim 100 T20I Wickets
