Indian Cricket Team Likely Best T20 Playing 11 Explained
Batting depth and wicket-keeper choice in focus in our analysis of the likely best T20 playing 11 for the Indian Cricket Team.
Ever since Team India won the T20 World Cup in 2024, the team has been in a transition stage with old foes retiring, and young guns leading the charge. The team has seen the stalwarts of the game like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, etc., retiring from the shortest format of the game, and that leaves the space for many youngsters who have been itching to play for the Indian team in T20Is.
For the last two years, the India team has seen many youngsters making a mark in the Indian Premier League as well as on the International stage. The team is also led by a new Captain, Suryakumar Yadav, who is building a team around this bold era, that fears none, and wants to build on the legacy created by the veteran cricketers. But as has been the case recently, Team India are facing the problem of plenty where supply is huge, but demand is weak.
Even as we inch closer to two main tournaments like the Asia Cup 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026, India doesn’t have a settled T20 playing 11. While this is a problem of plenty, it is also a good thing in a way. With many options available, India in a few months will well and truly be on the course to forming a solid team. But as the team builds and prepares for the upcoming matches, let’s make an attempt to come up with the likely best playing 11 for the Indian Cricket team for T20 cricket.
Indian Cricket Team Best T20 Playing 11 Explained
Let’s talk about the players who are confirmed to play without a second thought. Among the players who are confirmed to feature in India’s best 11 are Captain Suryakumar Yadav, Vice Captain Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy. These 6 players have been contributing to the team for the last two years or more, and are almost fixed to feature in the best 11. This also more or less covers our 5 primary bowlers in the side.
Now, if we talk about the gaps, we need 2 openers, another good middle-order or top-order batter, a wicket-keeper, batting depth, and a sixth bowling option. Starting with the openers, if we consider the two best options from the current talent pool, look no further than Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma. These two players play an aggressive brand of cricket, and have already proven themselves in the Indian Premier League, and on the International stage.
Both Yashasvi and Abhishek are aggressive in nature, and play bold cricket that aligns with the team goal. While Sanju has been opening with Abhishek for some time now, Yashasvi, who has been missing a lot of T20Is due to Test cricket, should be back in the side as the primary opener. With two solid left-handers at the top, we can expect Tilak Varma or Suryakumar Yadav to play at 3, depending on the match situation. If the first wicket falls before the 6th over, Tilak should play. If not, SKY should come to bat.
Rishabh Pant vs Sanju Samson
Now, talking about the selection of the wicket-keeper, India currently have two good options in the form of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. However, both offer different skill sets on paper for the team. While Sanju is more of a top-order player, Pant can play the dual role of top-order as well as middle-order batter. With this team stacked with top-order batters already, Pant at 5 makes more sense than playing Sanju in the team. Moreover, Pant isn’t that bad of a player. He may have shown a lack of form in IPL, but it is a matter of fact before he gets going.
Coming to the finishers and batting depth, India’s current-best options are Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and one of Washington Sundar or Nitish Reddy. Hardik and Axar are the leading finishers and all-rounders in the side, so them playing at 6 and 7 is a good deal for the Indian team. Between Sundar and Nitish, India can opt for one depending on the pitch they play on. Both can hit, with Nitish being a better hitter. But Sundar may be needed if the pitch assists spin more.
Finally, talking about the best bowling lineup for the Indian T20 team, we should once again see a 3 pace and 3 spin combination. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are the leading two pacers in team, and they will have the support of Hardik Pandya. Whereas Varun Chakravarthy is the leading spinner in the team, and he should have the support of Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, and maybe Abhishek Sharma too. So, in all, Team India have a solid bowling lineup too.
Indian Cricket Team Likely Best T20 Playing 11 in 2025
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Abhishek Sharma
- Tilak Varma
- Suryakumar Yadav (c)
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Hardik Pandya
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar
- Arshdeep Singh
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Varun Chakravarthy
So, that’s about the likely best T20 playing 11 for the Indian Cricket Team. Overall, India can adopt this playing 11 for the Asia Cup 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026. There could be minor variance in this playing 11, but more or less, we should see at least 8-9 players as confirmed ones when we see the strongest playing 11 for the big tournament.
