The 2026 T20 World Cup is all set to get underway on Saturday, February 7. A total of 55 matches will be played as part of the ICC event, with the grand final on March 8. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with matches to be played at eight venues – five in India and three in Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue are the defending champions, having won the previous edition in 2024.
Twenty teams will be taking part in the 2026 T20 World Cup and have been split into four groups of five each. India and Pakistan are in Group A, while Australia and Sri Lanka have been placed in Group B. Group C features England and West Indies, while Group D includes South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan. The group stage will be followed by the Super 8s and the knockouts.
A few prominent names have been ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup due to injury and fitness issues. Take a look.
Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
Seasoned Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood won’t be part of T20 World Cup 2026. He was initially picked in the Aussie squad amid hopes that he would be available for the latter stages of the competition. However, a day ahead of the tournament opener, Hazlewood was officially ruled out of the ICC event. The pacer suffered a hamstring injury in the final Sheffield Shield game before Ashes 2025-26.
Reacting to Hazlewood’s unavailability for the mega event, Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said (as quoted by ICC’s official website):
“We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super Eights stage, but the latest indications (are that) he is still some time away and accelerating his program will carry too much risk.”
As of now, Australia have not named a replacement for the injured pacer. Veteran batter Steve Smith and pacer Sean Abbott are among the names in contention.
Pat Cummins (Australia)
Before Hazlewood, his long-time pace bowling partner and Australia’s Test skipper, Pat Cummins was also ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The right-arm fast bowler failed to recover fully from his lingering back injury and hence was not picked in Australia’s final squad for the T20 tournament.
With Cummins being ruled out, left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis was named in Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Notably, the veteran fast bowler featured in only one Ashes 2025-26 Test. He played the third match in Adelaide and claimed a total of six wickets.
Adam Milne (New Zealand)
Injury prone New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne will miss the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka due to a torn left hamstring. The Kiwi pacer suffered the injury while representing Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20. Reacting to the development, New Zealand head coach Rob Walter had commented:
“We’re all gutted for Adam. He’d worked so hard to get himself ready for the tournament and was looking back to his best in his eight games for the Eastern Cape Sunrisers. It’s unfortunate timing for Adam and we wish him a speedy recovery.”
With Milne being ruled out, New Zealand added all-rounder Kyle Jamieson to their squad for the ICC tournament. Jamieson was part of the Kiwi squad that played three ODIs and five T20Is in India in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.
Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan)
Experienced Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq will miss the T20 World Cup after being ruled out due to a stress fracture in his right shoulder. The right-arm pacer last represented Afghanistan in December 2024. He turned out for MI Emirates in the ILT20 in December 2025. Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi was named as Naveen‘s replacement in the Afghanistan team for the World Cup.
Tony de Zorzi (South Africa)
South Africa batter Tony de Zorzi will miss the 2026 T20 World Cup after failing to recover from a right hamstring muscle tear sustained during the ODI series against India in December 2025. As per reports, his rehabilitation did not progress as expected. De Zorzi was replaced by Mumbai Indians (MI) star Ryan Rickelton, who was left out of the initial squad.
Donovan Ferreira (South Africa)
Proteas all-rounder Donovan Ferreira will also miss the mega event in India and Sri Lanka. The 27-year-old sustained a fracture of his left clavicle during a domestic T20 match in South Africa last month. Aggressive batter Tristan Stubbs was named as Ferreira’s replacement in Proteas’ T20 World Cup squad.
Harshit Rana (India)
As per a report in The Indian Express, young Indian pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup. Rana struggled with his fitness in the warm-up game against South Africa and pulled out of his delivery stride more than once. He was even seen clutching his knee before walking off the field after bowling just one over. As per reports, Mohammed Siraj is set to be named as Rana’s replacement.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert
