Afghanistan reveal 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2026, Rashid Khan named captain

Afghanistan has officially announced a 15-man squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The team is gearing up to participate in this major tournament which is scheduled to be held from February 7 to March 8 under the captaincy of famous all-rounder Rashid Khan. While Mujeeb Ur Rahman returned to the shortest format of the game, Ibrahim Zadran was appointed as his deputy.

Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Ishaq and Mohammad Nabi, who will turn 41 on January 1, 2026, were also included in the squad. Additionally, the return of Naveen-ul-Haq and Gulbedin Naib has strengthened the bowling attack significantly.

Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai are other fast bowlers selected in the World Cup squad. The three players named as reserves for this big event are AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.

Giving information about the decision to exclude Allah Ghazanfar, ACB’s Chief Selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil described the player as unfortunate for not being included in the squad.

“We had good discussions over the last few days and decided the squad. Gulbedin Naib is a player of the big matches and his return gives strength to our team. We are also happy to have Naveen Ul Haq back, which improves the quality of our fast bowling. It was a difficult decision to drop AM Ghazanfar from the main squad as his place was given to Mujeeb. Shahidullah Kamal performed well in the last event and provided us with a valuable left-handed option which is very important in the major tournaments,” he said.

More importantly, the same team will participate in a three-match T20I series against the West Indies in the United Arab Emirates from January 19-22. Afghanistan, New Zealand, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Canada are in Group D of the T20 World Cup. They will begin their campaign against New Zealand in Chennai on February 8.

Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (C), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbedin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran.

Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi

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