New Delhi: Former captain Rovman Powell and senior all-rounder Jason Holder were included as West Indies announced a strong squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 on Monday, January 26. The upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup is set to get underway on February 07, and the tournament will be played in India and Sri Lanka.

Shai Hope will lead two-time champions West Indies, who are part of Group C alongside England, Nepal, Scotland and Italy. West Indies will be one of the favourites to qualify for the knockout stages from their group and will be aiming to lift a record third title in 2026.

Holder and Powell, two of the most experienced all-rounders in the West Indies squad, have been called up after being rested from their recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan. Romario Shepherd has also been picked, further bolstering West Indies’ all-rounders department.

There are some familiar names in West Indies’ strong batting line-up as they have the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Brandon King, Hope and Johnson Charles in their ranks. The two-time champions have also included hard-hitting batter Quentin Sampson.

Sampson scored 241 runs at a strike rate of over 151 in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025 and was the third-highest run-getter for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the tournament. He made his T20I debut in the recently concluded series against Afghanistan, where he managed only 35 runs in three innings. However, the selectors have posed their faith in the talented batter.

Pacer Shamar Joseph makes the cut, no Alzarri Joseph

West Indies have also picked pacer Shamar Joseph in their squad despite his injury issues. The 26-year-old missed multiple assignments due to injuries last year. He also managed only five appearances in 12 matches for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in CPL 2025 and managed only 5 wickets.

However, he has been backed by the selectors, who have ignored fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who has dealt with regular injury issues in the recent past. Shamar Joseph is set to lead West Indies’ pace attack in the tournament, which consists of the likes of Jayden Sealed, Matthew Forde, Holder, Shepherd and Powell, among others.

West Indies will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Scotland at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 07. The two-time champions were initially scheduled to face Bangladesh in their opening game. However, they will now take on Scotland, who replaced Bangladesh in the tournament following their refusal to travel to India for the tournament.

West Indies squad for T20 World Cup 2026:

Shai Hope (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Brandon King, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Quentin Sampson, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Matthew Forde