IPL stars missing from Indias T20I squad for Zimbabwe tour: Sanju Samson from CSK, Rajat Patidar from RCB, Shubman Gill from GT; check all names

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced a highly experimental 15-member India squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, scheduled to begin on July 23, 2026, in Harare. 

Here is a breakdown of the top IPL stars from each franchise who are noticeably absent from India’s T20I squad for the Zimbabwe tour.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 

Sanju Samson: The star CSK wicket-keeper batter has been dropped from India’s T20I squad for the three-match series in Zimbabwe despite his pedigree. Sanju’s omission from the squad comes after he was left out of the playing XI for the second T20I against England at Old Trafford, where 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history as India’s youngest men’s international debutant, opening the innings and scoring 14 off 10 balls. 

Before getting replaced by Sooryavanshi, Samson had made scores of 5, 0 and 1 in two matches against Ireland in Belfast and the first T20I against England in Durham. However, before IPL 2026, he had starred in India’s triumphant 2026 T20 World Cup campaign with three successive half-centuries, earning the Player of the Tournament award.

Ruturaj Gaikwad: CSK skipper is not part of India’s T20I setup for some time as selectors are looking at ultra-aggressive opening combinations.

Suryakumar Yadav: Men’s T20 World 2026 winning captain has been dropped from India T20I squad since Ireland tour 

Hardik Pandya: Star all-rounder and MI captain is recovery from injury.  

Jasprit Bumrah: The premier fast bowler is rested due to his workload management.

No RCB player features in the India T20I squad for Zimbabwe tour, sparking fan debate.  

Rajat Patidar: Standout performer and back to back IPL title winning captain has been ignored by selectors.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Despite a phenomenal campaign for RCB in IPL 2026 where he picked up 28 wickets in 16 matches at a stellar average of 17.89, the veteran pacer was not picked in India’s T20I squad for the Zimbabwe likely due to age factor and long-term strategy by the BCCI selectors.

Krunal Pandya: Despite the liking of current head coach and chief selector towards all-rounders, the veteran left-arm player didn’t find place due to age factor and long-term strategy by the BCCI selectors.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 

Harshit Rana: Promising pacer/all-rounder left out, even as teammates Varun Chakravarthy and Rinku Singh made the cut.

Arshdeep Singh: India’s leading left-arm pacer has been rested for Zimbabwe tour. 

Shubman Gill: Stylish opener and India white-ball captain is not part of national team’s T20I set-up since Asia Cup  

Washington Sundar: Spin all-rounder dropped after ordinary performance 

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)  

Veteran pacer, who was part of LSG in IPL 2026, has been out of India setup since 2025 Champions Trophy due long-term planning, workload management, and ongoing fitness debates.

Axar Patel: Dependable all-rounder has been rested for the Zimbabwe series. 

Rishabh Pant & KL Rahul: Wicketkeeper-batters have been out of India’s T20I setup for some time. 

Rajasthan Royals (RR)  

Yashasvi Jaiswal: Dynamic young opener, has been out of India’s T20I setup for a long time now. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 

Nitish Kumar Reddy: Young all-rounder is currently recovering from injury. 

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarathy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (wk).