Rashid Khan named captain as Afghanistan announce squad for 2026 T20 World Cup

Afghanistan's run to the semi-final of the 2024 edition was among the standout stories of the tournament. (AP Photo)

Afghanistan, who managed a historic semi-final finish in the 2024 T20 World Cup, have announced Rashid Khan as their captain as they announced their side for the 2026 edition of the tournament. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, both of whom were not included in the Afghanistan squad for their white-ball tour of Bangladesh in October.

Naveen-ul-Haq returns to the squad as well after a shoulder injury ruled him out of the Asia Cup in September, as does spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. The squad is the same for their upcoming series against the West Indies, whom they host in the UAE. The three fixtures will be played on January 19, 21 and 22.

Afghanistan’s run to the semi-final of the 2024 edition was among the standout stories of the tournament. On the way, they beat much higher rated oppositions in New Zealand, West Indies, Australia and Bangladesh. In the semi-final, though, they were shredded apart by South Africa, being blown away for a paltry score of 56 with Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi taking three wickets each. South Africa chased the target down in 8.5 overs and went through to the final, where they dramatically lost to India.

Rashid Khan (Captain), Ibrahim Zadran (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai.

Afghanistan are the fifth squad to name their squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, after India, Sri Lanka, Oman and England. Out of these, they are only the third to name their final squad, with the rest naming preliminary squads.

Afghanistan are placed in Group D along with Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UAE. Their first match is Chennai against New Zealand on February 8. The tournament itself starts on February 7 with Pakistan facing the Netherlands in Colombo, West Indies playing Bangladesh in Kolkata and hosts India facing the USA in Mumbai.