5 Indian players who have been sidelined in T20Is currently

India’s T20 pool has depth that lets the selectors experiment aggressively, which means recognisable names can find themselves out of the immediate T20 picture for reasons ranging from form and fitness to team balance. Here are five players who, while still very much part of India’s cricketing fabric, haven’t featured in the latest T20I lineups and are, for now, on the outside looking in.

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal 

Jaiswal’s rise through domestic cricket into Tests and white-ball recognition has been rapid, and he’s shown he can dominate bowling attacks when given the licence. Yet his T20I appearances have been intermittent, with his last recorded T20I appearance coming in July 2024. 

That gap isn’t a judgment on his ability, but it’s more a reflection of the selectors juggling opening combinations and prioritising players who fit a specific T20 role at a given moment. He has been making plenty of runs in the IPL and with an excellent strike rate, but has been missing out on an Indian spot.

2. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas remains a premium middle-order option with leadership experience and a record of rebuilding innings under pressure. Despite that, he’s been absent from several recent T20 squads. His most recent T20I appearance came long back in December 2023. 

The reason isn’t a single failure, but it’s competition for middle-order slots, strategic choices that favour finishers who offer power-hitting or additional bowling, and the selectors’ desire to try different permutations. Iyer’s game is adaptable, and he led his IPL team brilliantly this year too, but he keeps getting distanced from the T20I side.

3. Rinku Singh 

Rinku earned a reputation for late-innings fireworks and has been a clutch performer in franchise cricket. However, he hasn’t been a regular in India’s recent T20Is. He has been getting chances in bilaterals but finds himself out of the team when a multinational tournament approaches. 

He has played several surprising innings for his IPL as well as the Indian team. He has established his name as a sure-shot finisher of the game and surely deserves a longer rope and trust from the team.  

4. Mohammed Siraj 

Siraj is widely regarded as one of India’s most potent seamers in Tests and ODIs, but T20 selection has been less regular. His last T20I appearance occurred in 2024, and since then, he’s featured more in red- and white-ball contexts where his strengths, i.e. hitting the deck hard and bowling sustained spells, are prioritised. 

In T20s, the balance often favours express short-burst specialists or seamers who bowl variations. That has sometimes pushed Siraj down the pecking order for the shortest format. Still, his pace and skill set make him a tempting pick for conditions that reward raw pace.

5. KL Rahul 

KL Rahul’s absence from India’s recent T20Is has been one of the more discussed selection topics. He has continued to play top-level domestic and India A cricket (including big scores that show he’s not short of form), yet hasn’t been part of the senior T20I setup. 

Rahul’s profile of a keeper-batter, top-order option overlaps with multiple players, and the selectors have preferred a different mix for balance and wicketkeeping choices. It’s a selection nuance rather than a form issue for him.

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