The T20 World Cup 2026 is less than two months away. Defending champions India are the favourites going into the mega-event, but they too have a few hurdles to deal with before defending their prestigious title in India.
The Men in Blue are fresh off a defeat against South Africa, and the Proteas exploited several weaknesses in the team. Interestingly, the skipper and vice-captain are struggling for runs, and the debate has already begun whether the duo deserve a place in the team or not.
Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav struggling for runs Shedding light on Gill first, the right-handed batter was not even in the scheme of things in T20Is before the Asia Cup. However, the 26-year-old has failed to grasp the opportunity and has scored just 263 runs in 14 games, averaging just 23.90.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav, who was once ranked as the No.1 T20I batter, has seen a massive dip in form and scored just 201 runs in 17 games, averaging 14.35 with the bat in 2025.
Now, despite two of the important players struggling, it will be difficult for the management to replace them with just two months left for the prestigious event. Thus, it is expected that the changes will be made following the T20 World Cup 2026.
Meanwhile, this article will shed light on key youngsters who will be frontrunners to replace Gill and SKY in the team post the 2026 T20 World Cup.
1. Ayush Mhatre The first name that strikes here is India's rising talent, Ayush Mhatre. The 19-year-old rose to fame during IPL 2025 when he featured for Chennai Super Kings.
Mhatre was the sole aggressive star at the top and will be one of CSK's prominent batters for IPL 2026. Talking about his recent stats, the 18-year-old shone in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he amassed 325 runs in six innings, averaging a whopping 108.33.
Mhatre slammed two centuries and a fifty-plus score, making him the third leading run-getter so far in the tournament.
Let's look at Mhatre's stats in IPL 2025 as opener
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2. Vaibhav Suryavanshi The 14-year-old needs no introduction. The baby boss has taken over the world by storm and is having a year to remember. He too rose to fame with IPL, where he scored 252 runs in seven innings, averaging 36.00.
The southpaw scored 355 runs in five innings during England youth ODIs, averaging 71.00, and that too with a strike-rate of 174. Talking about Vaibhav's year in a nutshell, the left-handed batter has scored six centuries across formats.
Let's look at Suryavansi's performance across tournaments.
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3. Smaran Ravichandran The 22-year-old Karnataka-based cricketer is in a different league of his own as he is shining across formats with the bat in domestic events. During SMAT 2025-26, Smaran has scored 319 runs in seven innings, averaging 63.80.
Not just T20Is, but Smaran has also proved his worth in the Ranji Trophy, amassing 595 runs in seven innings, averaging 119.00.
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4. Priyansh Arya The southpaw, who featured for Punjab Kings, is also in contention as the 24-year-old took the league by storm when he scored 475 runs in 17 matches in the last season.
Since then, Arya featured in DPL 2025, Australia A tour, and Asia Cup Rising Stars edition, where he slammed two more centuries to extend his red form. Therefore, for the upcoming T20I cycle post the World Cup, Arya will definitely be one of the names to knock on selectors' doors for the opening slot.
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SMAT 2025Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table 7Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table 197Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table Select Add Row Above Add Row Below Add Column Right Add Column Left Delete Row Delete Column Delete Table 28.14Select Add Row Above Add Row 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5. Angkrish Raghuvanshi Again, shedding light on the No.3, No.4 slot, KKR's rising talent Angkrish Raghuvanshi is one name that the selectors should keep a keen eye on. During IPL 2025, the right-handed batter scored 300 runs in 11 innings, averaging 33.33.
For the upcoming edition, the Knight Riders have released most of their squad, but entrusted the 20-year-old to do wonders for them in future.
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Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi - (Source: AFP)
