T20 World Cup 2026: UAE announce 15-member squad, Parashar and Mayank recalled

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have announced their squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, making a couple of notable changes from the team currently competing against Ireland in a two-match T20I series. All-rounder Dhruv Parashar and opening batter Mayank Kumar have been included in the squad, replacing Basil Hameed and Rahul Chopra.

Muhammad Waseem has been named captain of the 15-member squad and will lead the side in the global tournament. Alongside Alishan Sharafu and Junaid Siddique, Waseem is one of only three players in the squad who were part of UAE’s previous T20 World Cup campaign in 2022. Waseem is the most experienced T20I player for UAE, with 92 appearances, and is also the team’s leading run-scorer in the format. Siddique, meanwhile, remains UAE’s leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals.

Hameed and Chopra were left out following disappointing performances in the opening T20I against Ireland in Dubai, where both batters were dismissed for single-digit scores. Hameed also struggled with the ball, conceding 28 runs in his two overs during the defeat.

Parashar brings valuable experience, having already featured in 32 T20Is, and was part of a memorable half-century partnership that briefly put Pakistan under pressure at last year’s Men’s T20 Asia Cup. Mayank Kumar earned his international debut during the T20 World Cup Asia and EAP Qualifier and later featured in the Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup in November.

UAE have been placed in Group D of the 20-team tournament alongside Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. They will play warm-up matches against Nepal (February 3) and Italy (February 6) in Chennai before opening their campaign against New Zealand on February 10. The team will then move to Delhi to face Canada (February 13), Afghanistan (February 16), and South Africa (February 18).

Former Pakistan fast bowler Yasir Arafat has joined the UAE setup as fast-bowling coach, with Lalchand Rajput serving as head coach and Stanley Chioza overseeing fielding duties.

UAE squad for Men's T20 World Cup 2026

Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh