The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be hosted across India and Sri Lanka from Feb. 7 to March 8, will feature 20 teams competing in 55 matches. With squads for 19 teams already confirmed, the event is set to be one of the most competitive editions, especially with changes such as Scotland replacing Bangladesh after the latter’s withdrawal.
As teams prepare for the month-long tournament, captains will be central to shaping on-field strategy. Their responsibilities include managing bowling rotations, reading rapidly changing conditions, making tactical field placements, and guiding their squads through pressure moments in both the group stage and the Super 8s. These decisions become even more important in subcontinental conditions, where pitch behaviour can vary significantly between venues.
Let’s take a look at all 20 captains of the participating teams at the T20 World Cup –
1. Suryakumar Yadav (India)
Suryakumar Yadav will be leading defending champions India in the upcoming T20 World Cup. With India heading into the tournament as the favourites, and the final being hosted in Ahmedabad, Surya has the chance of becoming the first captain to lift the coveted trophy on the home soil.
2. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
Afghanistan’s campaign will be led by Rashid Khan. With 696 wickets, Rashid is the most successful bowler in T20 cricket. The leg spinner is no. 2 on the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers.
3. Mitchell Marsh (Australia)
This is the second time Mitchell Marsh is leading Australia at a T20 World Cup. The all-rounder was Australia’s captain at the 2024 T20 World Cup as well. Marsh is an immensely talented all-rounder with the ability to hit the ball hard and also bowl at good pace. But recurrent injuries have inhibited his bowling abilities.
4. Dilpreet Bajwa (Canada)
Dilpreet Bajwa will be captaining Canada at this edition of the World Cup. The 23-year-old is an all-rounder and has played nine ODIs and 17 T20Is for Canada. He bats right handed and bowls right-arm offbreaks.
5. Harry Brook (England)
Harry Brook is considered one of the finest batting talents that England has produced in recent years. He plays in all three formats and succeeded Jos Buttler as England’s white-ball captain early last year. This will be the first time that Brook will be leading England in an ICC event.
6. Paul Stirling (Ireland)
Paul Stirling is a legend of Irish cricket. He has been playing international cricket for 18 years and has played close to 400 T20 games and accumulated 9,067 runs in the format. He became Ireland’s full-time white-ball captain in October 2023. The 35-year-old is known for his big-hitting skills.
7. Wayne Madsen (Italy)
Italy shocked the cricketing world when they qualified for the T20 World Cup. This will be the first time that Italy will be appearing in an ICC World Cup. And the honour of leading Italy in the tournament has gone to South Africa-born Wayne Madsen. The 42-year-old made his international debut only three years ago. Madsen is a right-handed batter who has played over 250 First Class matches, mostly in England’s County Cricket.
8. Gerhad Erasmus (Namibia)
Namibia are now a regular for the T20 World Cups. The African nation has appeared in each of the past three editions of the tournament and in all those three editions they were led by Gerhad Erasmus. Erasmus is set to lead Namibia again. The 30-year-old is an all-rounder who bats right handed and bowls right-arm off-spin.
9. Rohit Paudel (Nepal)
Rohit Paudel started captaining Nepal at a very young age. At just 20 years and 73 days, Paudel became the second-youngest captain in ODI history. Under his captaincy Nepal made their first T20 World Cup appearance since 2014. Paudel is a batting all-rounder and remains one of Nepal’s top run-scorers across formats.
10. Scott Edwards (Netherlands)
Scott Edwards was born in Australia but he committed to playing cricket for the Netherlands in 2017. He has captained the Dutch cricket team at the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup and 2023 ICC ODI World Cup. In both those tournaments, he guided the team to shock wins over South Africa. Edwards is a wicketkeeper-batter.
11. Mitchell Santner (New Zealand)
Mitchell Santner is New Zealand’s ODI and T20I skipper. At 132 wickets, he is Blackcaps third-most successful bowler in the T20Is. In recent years, New Zealand’s men’s cricket team has come close to winning a white-ball ICC title but have failed to deliver in crunch games. Santner has been tasked to get them over the line in this edition of the World Cup.
12. Jatinder Singh (Oman)
Oman will be led by India-born Jatinder Singh at this edition of the World Cup. Jatinder moved to Oman early in his life. He made his international debut in 2015 and has since become country’s leading run-scorer in ODIs and T20Is. Singh is primarily a batter and has been leading the cricket team since 2024.
13. Salman Agha (Pakistan)
Salman Agha is an all-rounder who plays in all the three formats for Pakistan. He bowls right-arm off spin and is a right-handed batter. He first captained Pakistan in a T20I game in late 2024 and became the team’s full-time skipper in the format in early 2025.
14. Richie Berrington (Scotland)
Scotland entered the fray late. They became part of the competition only when Bangladesh were removed from the World Cup. Like many Associate Nations’ captains, Scotland too are being led by a South African-born cricketer. Berrington migrated to Scotland in his youth and has been an integral part of Scotland cricket ever-since. Berrington is an experienced campaigner having played over 100 games in both ODIs and the T20Is.
15. Aiden Markram (South Africa)
Under Aiden Markram’s captaincy, South Africa had a phenomenal run in the 2024 World Cup where they went all the way to the final. The Proteas stumbled in the final though. So, this time around under his leadership, South Africa will be aiming to clinch their first T20 World Cup crown. Markram is a top-order batter and is known to hit the ball long and hard.
16. Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka)
Dasun Shanaka will be leading tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka at this World Cup. Shanaka is an all-rounder who bats in the middle-order and bowls right-arm seam. He has played 123 T20Is for Sri Lanka.
17. Muhammad Waseem (UAE)
Muhammad Waseem will be leading UAE in this edition of the World Cup. He bats right handed and is the team’s most important batter. With 3,236 runs, Waseem is UAE’s all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is. Under his captaincy UAE recently clinched a series win over Ireland and beat Bangladesh and gave a tough fight to Afghanistan.
18. Monak Patel (USA)
For a second successive edition Monak Patel will be leading USA at the T20 World Cup. In 2024, under his captaincy the USA pulled off a famous win over Pakistan. Monak is a wicketkeeper batsman and has played 43 T20Is and 71 ODIs for USA. He is a regular in Major League Cricket where he plays for MI New York.
19. Shai Hope (West Indies)
Shai Hope has been one of the most consistent batters that West Indies has produced in recent years. He is now West Indies’ ODI and T20I skipper. He has consistently churned runs across all three formats. Hope will also be keeping wickets for the West Indies in this World Cup.
20. Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
Sikandar Raza is the no. 1 ranked T20I all-rounder in the world. He bowls leg-spin and is a right-handed batter. He is an immensely experienced player having featured in over 300 T20 games across numerous T20 leagues around the globe. Raza is known to produce match-winning performances against big teams and at big stages. At 39, this could be the last time that the veteran could be leading Zimbabwe in a ICC event.
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