Yuzvendra Chahal has made a notable choice by leaving out Ishan Kishan and Kuldeep Yadav from his predicted Team India for the T20 World Cup match against the USA on February 8 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Despite Ishan Kishan’s impressive century in his last game, Chahal has decided to go with Sanju Samson at the top of the order alongside Abhishek Sharma. This decision comes even though Kishan has shown strong performance upon his return to International Cricket while Samson has faced challenges with his batting.
Chahal includes Tilak Varma in the middle order, along with Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh for the match against the USA. In the bowling lineup, he chooses two spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel, along with pacers Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah.
Kuldeep Yadav has been omitted, having played only five matches since the 2025 Asia Cup Final.
India will compete against Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, and Namibia in the tournament.
Leading up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, India has performed exceptionally well, winning three consecutive series against Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Washington Sundar is still recovering from a side strain he sustained during the ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s Predicted Playing XI for the T20 World Cup Match Against the USA: Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah