Overview:
Despite his past performances, Kuldeep Yadav has been left out of Chahal's predicted playing XI. Yadav has featured in just five matches since the 2025 Asia Cup Final.
Yuzvendra Chahal has taken a bold step by excluding both in-form Ishan Kishan and his former partner Kuldeep Yadav from his predicted Team India’s Playing XI for the 2026 T20 World Cup match against the USA on February 8 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Even after Ishan Kishan’s spectacular century in his last outing, Yuzvendra Chahal has opted to stick with Sanju Samson at the top alongside Abhishek Sharma. Despite Kishan’s strong return to international cricket and Samson’s recent struggles with the bat, Chahal went ahead with the right-handed batter.
Yuzvendra Chahal has included the returning Tilak Varma alongside Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh in his predicted middle order for India’s opener against the USA. In the bowling department, Chahal has gone with a blend of two spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel, alongside the pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah.
Despite his past performances, Kuldeep Yadav has been left out of Chahal’s predicted playing XI. Yadav has featured in just five matches since the 2025 Asia Cup Final.
Team India will play against Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, and Namibia.
India’s build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup has been nearly flawless, having triumphed in three consecutive series against Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand in recent months.
However, all-rounder Washington Sundar is still sidelined due to a side strain he suffered during the ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s Predicted Playing XI for India’s 2026 T20 World Cup Clash with the USA: Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah