Babar Azam in, Haris Rauf out: Here’s how Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2026 looks

Pakistan have announced their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Babar Azam has returned to the team for an ICC event after missing the Asia Cup 2025. Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out of Pakistan’s final squad.

Pakistan start their campaign against the Netherlands on 7 February in Colombo. The big match against India is on 15 February at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad looks balanced, with a clear mix of experience, youth, pace, spin and batting depth. The selectors have focused on flexibility, which is crucial in T20 cricket.

At the top, Babar Azam remains the batting pillar. He is expected to anchor innings and guide younger players. Aggressive options like Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub provide fast starts at the top.

Salman Ali Agha leads the side as captain. He is a calm all-rounder who can bat in the middle order and bowl useful overs.

The all-round department is strong. Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf offer balance with both bat and ball, especially on slower pitches.

The bowling attack is pace-heavy and threatening. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah lead the fast bowling. Abrar Ahmed adds mystery spin. Support comes from Mohammad Salman Mirza and Usman Tariq.

Behind the stumps, Pakistan have three options. Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan and Khawaja Mohammad Nafay give multiple wicketkeeping and batting options.

In case there’s a change of plan for Pakistan, squad changes are allowed until 31 January 31.

In the tournament, Haris Rauf took 9 wickets in 5 matches, becoming the joint 3rd highest wicket-taker. His 3/22 against Sri Lanka helped Pakistan reach the final.

However, he struggled against India, particularly in the final. He conceded 50 runs in 3.4 overs. Haris Rauf was dropped from the team soon after the tournament despite performing well.

Babar Azam was earlier dropped from the T20I squad for the Asia Cup in 2025. At the time, selectors raised concerns about his strike rate and consistency in the shortest format. This marks his return to the team for an ICC event.

He was also absent from Pakistan’s most recent T20I series against Sri Lanka in January 2026. He was playing for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL).

Babar Azam was recalled soon after the Asia Cup 2026. He was a part of the Pakistan vs South Africa series at home.

Babar will be a part of the upcoming T20 series against Australia. The T20 series will start on 29 January, shortly before the T20 World Cup, starting 7 Feb.

The 2nd T20 of the Pakistan vs Australia series will be on 31 January while the 3rd game will be held on 1 February. All games will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Although he previously captained the side, Babar Azam returns only as a senior batter. The team will now be led by Salman Ali Agha, who also led the squad in the Asia Cup 2025.

Despite having scored three 100s in T20 cricket, Babar Azam's inconsistency in this format remains the talk of the town. In 136 matches, he has scored 4,429 runs with a low average of 39.54.

Naseem Shah has also returned to the Pakistan T20 squad for an ICC event. His exclusion from the Asia Cup 2025 raised many eyebrows. His last T20 game for Pakistan was in November 2025. In 34 matches, he has 30 wickets at an economy of 8.14.