T20 World Cup 2024: Hardik Pandya vice captain, KL Rahul out of team, Shubman Gill lands in reserves

The announcement of the BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 came with a lot of surprises.

While Rohit Sharma’s appointment as captain was quite expected, the Senior Selection Committee’s decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as vice-captain has taken cricket fans by storm. Pandya had a tough time as the captain of Mumbai Indians during the currently ongoing IPL 2024. 

Virat Kohli this time has no special role to play, except for displaying his best sportsmanship spirit. 

On the other hand, the decision to exclude KL Rahul and Rinku Singh from the squad has come as a surprise; however, the entire decision is a result of their low performance in the IPL.

Meanwhile, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant have been appointed as the specialist wicketkeepers for the premier tournament which is all set to begin from June 1. Yuzvendra Chahal has also been included in the team, thanks to his splendid form during the ongoing IPL matches in India.  

The Board of Control for Cricket’s (BCCI) squad of 15 includes Rohit Sharma as the captain, Hardik Pandya as vice captain, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket keeper), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohd. Siraj.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan have been included as part of the reserves team. 

The T20 World Cup will be hosted in the West Indies and USA.