Monank Patel Named USA Captain for T20 WC
Monank Patel has been appointed captain of the USA cricket team for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, set to take place in India and Sri Lanka. Ten key players from the team’s debut 2024 campaign, which featured a notable Super 8 stage finish and a win over Pakistan, will return for this edition.
Alongside Patel, the squad includes Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, and Ali Khan. The experience of players like Harmeet, Milind, and Saurabh, who have played age-group or state cricket in India, is expected to provide the team with a strategic advantage.
Wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous led the USA in runs during the 2024 edition with 219 runs from six innings at an average of 43.80, including two fifties, while Saurabh Netravalkar topped the team’s wicket-taking chart with six wickets at an average of 20.83.
New faces in the squad may include Shubham Ranjane, who could make his T20I debut, and Mohammad Mohsin and Shehan Jayasuriya, who may earn their first international caps. Shubham, born in Pune, previously played four ODIs for the USA and featured in the SA20 tournament for Johannesburg Super Kings, scoring 101 runs in five innings, including a half-century.
USA will play in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, the Netherlands, and Namibia. Their campaign begins on February 7 against India in Mumbai, followed by matches against Pakistan in Colombo on February 10, the Netherlands in Chennai on February 13, and Namibia in Chennai on February 15.
Squad: Monank Patel (C), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.
