As the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 rolls in on February 7, all the attention will shift towards the players, and most importantly, the captains.
We’ve got 20 teams. 20 captains. Some are experienced. Some are new on the job.
But who all are leading in the T20 World Cup 2026? Here’s a look at each one of them.
Afghanistan
Captain: Rashid Khan
Afghanistan are banking on Rashid Khan once again. After all, he’s got that experience. And most importantly, he led them to the semi-final in 2024.
So Afghanistan will expect a similar performance this time around, although with a better finish.
Australia
Captain: Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Marsh continues to lead Australia in T20Is. This will be his second captaincy stint in the T20 World Cup.
In the last edition, Australia had a good run till the Super Eights. A couple of losses against India and Afghanistan derailed their campaign, though. This time, Marsh will come out with better strategies.
Canada
Captain: Dilpreet Bajwa
Canada, returning for their second appearance, have a new captain in place. And he’s Dilpreet Bajwa.
The 23-year-old batter has no prior captaincy experience. So, it will be interesting to see how Canada fare under his leadership.
England
Captain: Harry Brook
England also have a new captain in Harry Brook. He took over the reins eight months ago.
Brook may not be quite experienced, but his record is incredible thus far. Most importantly, he’s coming off a 3-0 whitewash over co-hosts Sri Lanka. So that must’ve boosted his confidence.
India
Captain: Suryakumar Yadav
Not many players get the opportunity to lead their team in a home ICC tournament. But here’s Suryakumar Yadav, ready to defend India’s title.
This is, obviously, his first ICC event as a skipper. But he’s got an invincible captaincy record in this format.
For context, India haven’t lost a single bilateral series under his leadership yet. And they had an unbeaten campaign in the 2025 Asia Cup. So, expect another dominant, unbeaten run!
Ireland
Captain: Paul Stirling
Despite a below-par performance in 2024, Ireland have retained Paul Stirling as their captain.
This will be the veteran batter’s second T20 World Cup as a captain. Hopefully, he will look to turn things around for the Irish team.
Italy
Captain: Wayne Madsen
Italy are set to play their first-ever ICC tournament. And Wayne Madsen will lead them.
The 42-year-old dreamt of donning an England jersey. But that never happened. Now, he’s with the Azzurri, hoping to take them to new heights.
Madsen’s T20I experience is brief, but his captaincy experience is vast. He has had a valuable stint with Derbyshire in England’s County Championship. So, he will bank on that experience to make history.
Know All About T20WC 2026 Here
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Schedule & Other Details
How does the Group Stage Work in T20 World Cup 2026?
T20 World Cup 2026: Broadcast & Live Stream Details
India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule
Explained: 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup Qualification Pathway
T20 World Cup 2026 Qualified Teams
T20 World Cup 2026: How Scotland replaced Bangladesh?
Namibia
Captain: Gerhard Erasmus
Namibia have got the most experienced skipper among all teams in this edition. Gerhard Erasmus will lead the Eagles in his fourth straight T20 World Cup.
The Namibians have had some great moments under his leadership. This time around, Erasmus will look to add a few more.
Nepal
Captain: Rohit Paudel
Nepal returned empty-handed in 2024. But they showed great fight under Rohit Paudel’s captaincy.
So they have backed Paudel for another edition. Playing closer to home and with many Nepal fans expected to cheer from the stadium, Paudel would like to script an upset or two.
Netherlands
Captain: Scott Edwards
The Dutch have had a good prep in India before the main event. And now their skipper, Scott Edwards, would like to get going with some wins.
The Netherlands have been notorious for pulling off surprise wins under Edwards’ captaincy. Take, for instance, their win over South Africa in 2022. So, Edwards perhaps knows how to beat the big boys.
New Zealand
Captain: Mitchell Santner
New Zealand have moved from one calm skipper to another. Mitchell Santner has already proved his mettle as captain.
He led the Black Caps into the Champions Trophy final in 2025. Sure, he couldn’t lift the trophy. But he’s got all the ingredients to help the Kiwis claim the title this time around.
Oman
Captain: Jatinder Singh
Within a short timeframe, Jatinder Singh has proved his captaincy mettle. He was crucial behind Oman’s qualification for the 2026 edition. Now, he will lead them for the first time in this big event.
Pakistan
Captain: Salman Agha
Pakistan had a disastrous campaign under Babar Azam in 2024. While Babar is still there, Pakistan will play under Salman Agha’s leadership this time.
Agha has somehow managed to bring Pakistan out of a shaky period. He would like to cap it off with a trophy.
Scotland
Captain: Richie Berrington
If you had told Richie Berrington he would lead Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026, he would’ve perhaps laughed it off. Why? Because Scotland were not supposed to play this time.
But here they are. They have been rushed into the tournament at the very last moment. But Berrington, with his experience, would like to deliver a memorable event.
In the last edition, Berrington came pretty close to leading the Scots in the Super Eights. But he fell short. This time, he would like to push hard, as destiny has smiled on him.
Team-wise T20 WC 2026 Schedule
Team India Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Australia Schedule: Venues, Squad
Team England Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team South Africa Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team New Zealand Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Sri Lanka Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Pakistan Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team West Indies Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Afghanistan Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team USA Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Canada Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Nepal Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Namibia Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Netherlands Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Scotland Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Ireland Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Italy Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
Team Oman Schedule: Dates, Venues, Squad
South Africa
Captain: Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram was this close to lifting the trophy in 2024. But it all came crashing down in the final.
Keeping that final loss aside, Markram will have another go in 2026. He showed how to reach the final last time. Now he would like to show how to win it all this time.
Sri Lanka
Captain: Dasun Shanaka
Sri Lanka have had a captaincy change in the lead-up to the tournament. Dasun Shanaka has replaced Charith Asalanka in the role.
Shanaka returns to lead the Lankans for the third time in the T20 World Cup. In his previous two stints, in 2021 and 2022, Sri Lanka advanced from the first round but didn’t do much in the main event.
So, it will be interesting to see if Shanaka has anything better to show this time in familiar conditions.
UAE
Captain: Muhammad Waseem
The UAE are back in the fray after four years. And Muhammad Waseem, with his explosive stroke-making, is set to guide them.
This is, obviously, his first ICC tournament as a captain. But he has a good captaincy record on his back.
The UAE have beaten teams like New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan under his leadership. They, in fact, won a bilateral series against Bangladesh in 2025. So, don’t count the Waseem-led UAE out just yet.
USA
Captain: Monank Patel
After an impressive run in 2024, Monank Patel will lead the USA once again. Patel has been key to the USA’s improvement in this format.
In the last edition, he played a massive role in the USA getting a strong start. That start resulted in the USA’s advancing to the Super Eights. He will look to repeat the same this time around.
West Indies
Captain: Shai Hope
The West Indies have a new skipper in place for this edition. Shai Hope will lead the Caribbean side for the first time.
He’s just eight months old in the role. And with not much to show, he’s got a big task on his hands.
Will he pull off a 2016 in 2026? Only time will tell!
Zimbabwe
Captain: Sikandar Raza
Sikandar Raza saw Zimbabwe’s 2024 T20 World Cup dream getting crushed. But cut to 2026, and he will lead the Chevrons in the 2026 edition.
Raza has decent captaincy experience. But what will actually help him is his experience of playing franchise cricket.
He has been a globetrotter for the last few years. He knows how to handle crunch situations and win matches for his team. So all this will come in handy when Raza leads Zimbabwe for the first time in the T20 World Cup.
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