Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the official squad of the tournament for the T20 World Cup 2026, recognizing the best players from the tournament.
The team was selected by a distinguished panel of experts including West Indies great Ian Bishop, former England captain Eoin Morgan, coach-turned-commentator Natalie Germanos, ICC representative Gaurav Saxena and veteran Sri Lankan sports journalist Rex Clementine.
Despite Pakistan’s inconsistent campaign that ended at the Super Eight stage, opener Sahibzada Farhan was a model of consistency.
His remarkable tally of 383 runs in seven matches set a new record for a batsman in one edition of the T20 World Cup.
The 29-year-old also made history by becoming the first player to score two centuries in a T20 World Cup. His magnificent century against Sri Lanka in the final Super Eight match laid the foundation for his team’s crucial five-run victory.
Sanju Samson played a key role in India’s successful campaign and was adjudged Man of the Tournament. Initially unable to break into India’s star-studded starting XI, Samson made the most of his opportunity.
The right-hander smashed an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in a virtual knockout Super Eight encounter.
He continued his sublime form with 89 against England in the semi-final and followed it up with another crucial 89 in the final against New Zealand.
In doing so, he became the third player to score a half-century in both the semi-final and final of a T20 World Cup, and the second player in the tournament’s history to score three consecutive 80 or more scores.
Ishan Kishan made a powerful impact at the top of the order with his relentless aggression. His three half-centuries were impressive contributions, but his 38 against Zimbabwe and 39 against England were key performances.
However his best performance came against arch-rivals Pakistan. After losing an early wicket when India batted first, Kishan scored 77 runs off 40 balls, an innings with ten fours and three sixes.
After two years on the sidelines, Kishan’s recovery arc was complete as he scored a crucial 54 and took two crucial catches in the final.
Aidan Markram has led South Africa admirably as they win their first seven matches of the tournament. Opening the batting, he never shied away from the charge and scored three fifties.
He was particularly impressive in Ahmedabad, scoring an unbeaten 86 in a crucial group-stage win over New Zealand and an unbeaten 82 against the West Indies in the Super Eights.
In the match against India, Markram provided the crucial breakthrough by dismissing Kishan in his first over.
Although the Proteas lost in the semi-final, Markram’s captaincy and efficient bowling was very impressive.
Over the years, Hardik Pandya has been the key to India’s success with his ability to change the game with bat or ball. He continued that rich form in the World Cup, scoring 217 runs and taking nine wickets.
Pandya scored two half-centuries, the second a 23-ball 50 against Zimbabwe to take India to 256 for 4 – the team’s highest total of the 2026 tournament and four runs short of the all-time T20 World Cup record.
Bowling, he took 2 for 16 in three crucial overs against Pakistan. Opening the bowling, Pandya removed Farhan, the opposition’s biggest threat, with a duck out before Usman Tariq ended the innings.
The tournament was a breakout moment for Will Jacks, who established himself as one of the premier all-rounders in the program.
After dropping the order, Jax perfected the role of finisher. His best score was an unbeaten 53 against Italy, but he played a key cameo against India and scored an unbeaten 32 against New Zealand to lead his team to victory in the final Super Eight match.
The off-spinner claimed three wickets in the Super Eight clash against Sri Lanka in a 51-run victory. Jags’ four man-of-the-match awards tied Shane Watson for the most such honors at the T20 World Cup.
A formidable pacer and powerful lower-order hitter, Jason Holder was one of the stars of the tournament.
His all-round talent was on full display in the Super Eight clash against India, where he took 2 for 38 and scored a crucial 37 not out off 22 balls.
The 6’7″ fast bowler used his height to extract bounce even on flat tracks and ran riot against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium. Holder took 4 for 27, dismissing three of the first five, to set up a dominant nine-wicket win.
While India’s batting line-up is formidable, it is Jasprit Bumrah who lifts the team above the rest. In the 2026 World Cup, he shared the record with teammate Varun Chakraborty as the highest wicket-taker.
In the final against New Zealand, he took 4 for 15 and won the man of the match award.
Apart from taking wickets at the right time, Bumrah’s ability to disrupt the batting rhythm of the opposition is what makes him stand out. His laser-guided accuracy and death-over yorkers turn his spells into pressure-cooker moments.
During the semi-final against England, he took only one wicket, but in his 18th over, conceding just six runs, was crucial.
In a match that saw 499 runs scored, Bumrah’s economy rate of 8.25 was the best of either side and was the reason England fell by 7 runs.
Lungi Ngiti is one of the premier pace bowlers of the tournament. He took 4 for 31 against Canada and added two more three-wickets.
Against India, he may have gone wicketless, but his four-over spell, conceding just 15 runs, was crucial in helping South Africa overcome India’s formidable batting line-up.
Nkiti used his experience, variations and slower balls to his advantage on mostly batting pitches.
Adil Rashid was the only specialist spinner selected in the squad. He took advantage of the conditions, particularly in Sri Lanka, to help England win six of their first seven matches.
Rashid was instrumental in the Super Eight wins against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, while taking 3 for 36 against Scotland. After England were restricted to 146 for 9 by Sri Lanka, the leg-spinner took 2 for 13 in 3.4 overs to spark the home-team collapse.
Against India, he was in damage-control mode, finishing with 2 for 41 off the key wickets of Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
Blessing Musharrafani was central to Zimbabwe’s dream run. After missing out on the 2024 edition, Zimbabwe produced their best performance to reach the Super Eights.
They announced their return with a 23-run win over Australia, a match in which Musharrafani took 4 for 17, bowling the Aussies out for 146.
In the group stage, the fast bowler took nine wickets in three matches as his team topped Group B.
America’s Shadley van Schalkwyk was the best bowler in the group stage. While the US failed to replicate their 2024 heroics and advance to the Super Eight, Nethrawalkar was in a league of his own.
He took four wickets against India and troubled the co-hosts with 77 for 6. He followed up with another impressive performance against Pakistan with identical figures of 4 for 25 runs.
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Squad of the Tournament: Sahibzada Farhan, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson (VK), Aiden Markram (catch), Hardik Pandya, Will Jacks, Jason Holder, Adil Rashid, Jasprit Bumrah, Lungi Ngidi and Blessing Musharrafani.
12th man: Shotley van Schalkwyk.
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