The T20 World Cup 2026 begins on February 07, 2025.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is nearly a month away, and teams are finalising their 15-member squads. No team wants to lose key players at this crucial stage, yet several stars are facing challenges due to injuries, poor form, or squad combinations. Here are five prominent players who could miss the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka, starting January 7.
Tim David’s finishing prowess and power-hitting ability have made him a vital player for Australia in white-ball cricket, especially in the shortest format. But his chance to feature in the upcoming ICC event seems very unlikely, as he could be among the five players who could miss the T20 World Cup 2026.
Representing Hobart Hurricanes, David suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in the Big Bash League (BBL) 15 on December 26 and walked off the field midway through his innings. The timing of the injury is a major concern, occurring weeks before the final T20 World Cup 2026 squad announcement. The right-hander has been ruled out for the entire tournament and needs four to eight weeks of rehab before he can return to full fitness.
In 2025, Tim David scored 395 runs in only 10 innings. His average was 49.37, and he had an impressive strike rate of 197.5. This included one hundred and three half-centuries. David’s performance has improved significantly since he moved to the No. 4 and No. 5 batting positions in T20I cricket during the series against the West Indies in the Caribbean.
For the T20 World Cup 2026, Australia will play all four league-stage matches in Sri Lanka. However, David’s experience of playing with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would have worked in Australia’s favour. Hence, Australia’s selectors will closely monitor his recovery, as missing him could weaken their middle-order strength ahead of the event.
The omission of vice-captain Shubman Gill from India’s provisional T20 World Cup 2026 squad despite continuous backing raised eyebrows. However, Gill has recently experienced a significant drop in form, managing 291 runs from 15 innings since the Asia Cup 2025 at a modest average of 24.25, which may have prompted the selection committee to make such a harsh decision.
His struggle to adjust quickly and play at a high strike rate in modern-day T20I cricket, along with the Men in Blue’s preference for a wicketkeeper-opener, has worked against him. Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar mentioned team flexibility as a key reason for replacing Gill with middle-order batter Rinku Singh. This will open doors for Sanju Samson to reclaim his opening spot. However, he may be named in the travelling reserves.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal, a member of the T20 World Cup 2024-winning squad, was snubbed from the provisional India squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, hinting at the tough competition for the opening spot. Despite boasting a solid IPL record and his proven attacking style, Jaiswal has been ignored due to Abhishek Sharma’s emergence as a left-handed opener. With India backing multi-dimensional players like wicketkeeper-batters or batters who can bowl, Jaiswal, a specialist opener, has hindered him. He remains a reserve option, but his chances seem slim unless injuries change the team dynamics. For a player of his talent, missing the T20 World Cup 2026 would be a major setback. Notably, Jaiswal has not played a single T20I match for India in 2025.
The build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 for Pakistan has been clouded by uncertainty around their senior players, including former skipper Babar Azam, among the names under review. Babar was left out of Pakistan’s recent T20I series against Sri Lanka as selectors explored new top-order options.
His poor form in the tri-series, against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at home, last month, and for the Sydney Sixers in the ongoing BBL 15 has raised questions about his place in the shortest format. The right-hander has scored only 71 runs in four BBL innings at a strike rate of 110.93, including just one fifty. For Pakistan, Babar Azam scored 206 runs in eight matches with an average of 34.33 this year. However, his strike rate is a poor 114.44.
While the PCB claims his absence is part of a rotation strategy, speculation suggests that Pakistan could move on from Babar, who holds the record for most runs (4,429) in T20I cricket.
Liam Livingstone is another prominent name who could miss the T20 World Cup 2026, courtesy of his torrid performances in T20I matches for England in 2025. He scored 74 runs in five matches, with an average of 14.8 and a strike rate of 127.58, which resulted in his snub from England T20 World Cup 2026 plans. His last game was in February against India at Wankhede.
Will Jacks replaced him and has performed well as a finisher, helping England secure seven wins out of 10 games since then and effectively filling the spin all-rounder void.
Despite his emphatic performances in The Hundred, ILT20, Vitality Blast and being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping INR 13 crore in IPL 2026 auction, the selectors preferred Jacks and inexperienced Rehan Ahmed, who is yet to play a T20I in India and Sri Lanka, over him as England announce the provisional squad for the T20 World Cup 2026.
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