Two Indian players feature in the chart.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is inching closer, and the teams are gearing up in full swing. But a few players are struggling with injury concerns and are competing in a race against time to be fit for the 20-over championship. India and Sri Lanka will co-host the tournament, scheduled to kick off on February 7.
Let’s look at the players who are doubtful to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.
The 23-year-old is a mainstay in India T20I squad, especially after scoring a match-winning 69 not out against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final. Tilak Varma was also in great touch in the South Africa T20Is, notching up 187 runs in four matches, striking at 131.69.
But the batter’s abdominal injury during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 has made his participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 doubtful. Currently, he has been sidelined from the initial three fixtures of India’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, and Shreyas Iyer has been added to the squad. But a late recovery might see him get ruled out of the defending champions’ squad as well.
Check the full India squad for T20 World Cup 2026 here.
The reigning champions could be struck by another injury blow in the form of Washington Sundar. The all-rounder was ruled out of India’s ODI series against the Black Caps after suffering a side strain in the series opener. Ayush Badoni was added to the squad as a replacement for the remaining two matches.
However, Ravi Bishnoi was included in the Men in Blue’s T20I squad for the rest of the white-ball series. This poses a significant threat of Sundar missing out on the hosts’ squad for their T20 title defence.
The stand-in skipper, Michael Bracewell, also picked up an injury in his left calf while fielding in the India vs New Zealand ODI series decider. The blow kept him on the sidelines for the entire match as Daryl Mitchell took up the leadership duties for the game.
However, the New Zealand cricket board is yet to release any further statement on the all-rounder’s injury status ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Check the full New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup 2026 here.
Another New Zealand player, who is currently featuring in the SA20 2026, might miss out on playing in the T20 World Cup 2026. The Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) pacer sustained a hamstring injury while bowling his first over of the game against the MI Cape Town last night. Tristan Stubbs completed the remaining over as Adam Milne left the field after just three deliveries.
Australia’s Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins is yet to recover fully from his lumbar bone stress injury that kept him away from action during the Ashes 2025. Though the pacer made a brief comeback during the third red-ball fixture and bagged six wickets, he was again sidelined from the final two matches of the series.
However, the team’s chief selector, George Bailey, has confirmed that the 32-year-old will miss the starting matches of the T20 World Cup 2026. If the bowler manages to recover on time, he will join the 2021 champions’ squad before their third or fourth group-stage match of the league. Notably, his last appearance in the format had come against India during the T20 World Cup 2024.
Check the full Australia squad for T20 World Cup 2026 here.
Josh Hazlewood was another key Australian pacer to miss the Ashes 2025 series. He was ruled out of the five-match series at home after suffering a hamstring injury during the Sheffield Shield fixture between New South Wales and Victoria.
The seamer is currently on rehab and will miss the T20I series against Pakistan, alongside Cummins, before the T20 World Cup 2026. But Bailey has backed the bowler to regain his match fitness ahead of the mega ICC event.
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The South African all-rounder is a new addition to the list of probable absentees for the T20 World Cup 2026. The Joburg Super Kings captain has recently been sidelined from the remaining SA20 2026 matches after suffering a shoulder injury during their last encounter against the Pretoria Capitals. However, the severity of his injury is yet to be known.
Check the full South Africa squad for T20 World Cup here.
Pakistan’s prime seamer, Shaheen Shah Afridi, is also doubtful to take part in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The left-arm bowler was ruled out during his maiden stint in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025 after picking up a knee injury. As per the reports, he is likely to get fit in time to lead the side’s pace attack.
Before getting sidelined from the tournament, Shaheen scalped two wickets in four matches for the Brisbane Heat, at an expensive economy rate of 11.19. But he has been consistent for the Men in Green in the format, snaring 17 scalps in the last 10 matches. The 25-year-old was also the second-highest wicket-taker of the subcontinental T20 tournament, snaring 10 wickets in seven fixtures.
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