Unpicked XI of the 2026 T20 World Cup
Several high-profile players will miss the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled from February 7 to March 8 hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Some players are unavailable due to injuries. Others were left out by selectors despite strong form or past performances. With the tournament expanded to 20 teams, the omissions have still raised eyebrows.
Here is a look at the big names who are missing from the 2026 T20 World Cup squads.
Shubman Gill (India)
Shubman Gill, the captain of India’s Test and ODI teams, will not feature in the T20 World Cup. He was part of India’s title-winning campaign in 2024 but only as a reserve player. India have opted for other options at the top of the order this time.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)
Yashasvi Jaiswal was included in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad. However, he failed to make the squad this year as India chose Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as their opening pair.
Steve Smith (Australia)
Steve Smith misses out despite being in strong form. He scored 299 runs in 6 matches for Sydney Sixers in the BBL 2025-26, striking at 167.97, with one century and two fifties. Smith last played a T20I in February 2024 and was also not part of Australia’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad.
Joe Burns (Italy)
Former Australian cricketer Joe Burns captained Italy to their first-ever T20 World Cup qualification. Despite that, he was not selected for the final squad due to availability issues and unresolved contracts. Italy will play the tournament without the captain who led them to qualification.
Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
Mohammad Rizwan is Pakistan’s second-highest run scorer in T20Is. The former captain has not played a T20I since December 2024 and has been left out of the T20 World Cup squad.
Shreyas Iyer (India)
Shreyas Iyer is India’s ODI vice-captain and enjoyed a strong IPL 2025, scoring over 600 runs for Punjab Kings last year. Despite his form, he remains outside India’s T20I plans for the World Cup as India have a settled middle order with Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.
Liam Livingstone (England)
Liam Livingstone has extensive experience in T20Is, IPL and leagues across the globe. In a surprise call, England selectors chose to leave the all-rounder out of their T20 World Cup squad.
Allah Ghazanfar (Afghanistan)
Teenage spinner Allah Ghazanfar, who featured in the Asia Cup 2025, did not make Afghanistan’s squad. The 19-year-old was overlooked despite recent exposure at the international level.
Haris Rauf (Pakistan)
Haris Rauf is Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is. He also topped the wickets chart in BBL 2025-26 with 20 wickets. Even so, he was dropped from Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
Mohammed Siraj (India)
Mohammed Siraj was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team in 2024. He has not been selected for the 2026 edition, with India opting for other pace options. However, closer to the tournament he replaced Harshit Rana in the Indian side.
Ottneil Baartman (South Africa)
Ottneil Baartman was the leading wicket-taker in SA20 2025-26 with 20 wickets. Despite being the tournament’s top bowler, he failed to secure a spot in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad as seasoned pacers like Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi are included in the squad.
Check the full squads of all the participating teams.