Anil Kumble Backs IPL Stars For T20 World Cup 2026 Squad
The young batsmen who impressed everyone with their swashbuckling batting in IPL 2025 have now joined the T20 World Cup 2026 race. Former Indian captain and coach Anil Kumble believes that Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, and 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi can get a place in the World Cup team.
Kumble also said that young players like Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also strong contenders for the T20 team. Of these, Gill and Jaiswal have already played T20Is, while Sai made his debut but did not get a chance to bat. At the same time, Sanju Samson is ready to return after recovering from injury.
Kumble said in an interview, "The performance of Priyansh, Prabhsimran, and Vaibhav in IPL is commendable. The remaining T20I matches before the World Cup will decide who the best 15 players will be. Fitness will also be very important because you want a fully fit team in the World Cup.”
Who did what in IPL 2025?
The biggest highlight of this season was GT's batsman Sai Sudarshan. He scored 759 runs, smashing a century and six fifties. His average was 54.21, and on the basis of this performance, he also got the Orange Cap.
Gill also played brilliantly – scoring 650 runs at an average of 50, including six half-centuries. At the same time, Sanju Samson missed some matches, due to which 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi got a chance to debut. The youngster scored 252 runs in just 7 innings and became the fastest Indian to score a century in IPL history having a strike rate of 206.55.
Both PBKS openers – Prabsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya – also did well throughout the season. Prabsimran scored 549 runs at an average of 32.29 with 4 fifties. At the same time, Priyansh, in his debut season, scored 475 runs, with a century and two fifties. His strike rate was 179.24.
Uthappa Became Fan Of Sai Sudharsan
Former India opener Robin Uthappa also praised Sai Sudharsan and said that he is good enough to play for India in all three formats. He said that Sai has just added a few shots without changing his technique, which has taken his strike rate from 130 to 170.
Uthappa said, "Sai's improvement has been fantastic. Young players like Gill, Jaiswal, Arya, Prabsimran are now ready for the big stage. This talent factory is not closing, but something new is coming out every year. ”
Now India's next T20I tour is in Bangladesh, from August 26 to August 31. It will be interesting to see which of these IPL stars is seen in India's blue jersey.