India squad for Zimbabwe T20Is: Samson excluded; Rinku, Mayank return

India have named a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe starting on July 23 in Harare. The squad features several changes from the one currently competing against England. Sanju Samson is the most notable omission alongside Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. The BCCI has not clarified the reason behind the non-selection of these players.

Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur have earned their maiden India call-ups, while Rinku Singh headlines the returning players. Prabhsimran Singh, who was last part of the squad during the 2023 Asian Games, has also been recalled. Mayank Yadav, who last represented India in 2024, and Harsh Dubey, who is uncapped in T20Is, complete the additions.

Both Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur enjoyed excellent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaigns, picking up 22 and 18 wickets respectively. Notably, Thakur claimed his wickets from just seven games at an impressive average of 9.88 and an economy rate of 6.80. Sharma, meanwhile, made his IPL debut for Gujarat Titans, claiming six wickets from as many outings. Clocked at 154.2 kph, he also bowled the fastest delivery of the season. Most recently, both players were part of the India A squad that toured Sri Lanka.

Prabhsimran Singh has been rewarded for his consistent IPL performances. After a 579-run season in 2025, he followed it up with 510 runs from 14 games at an average of 42.50 and a strike-rate of 168.87 in 2026. With Ishan Kishan also in the squad, however, Prabhsimran is likely to serve as the reserve wicketkeeper.

Injury-ridden Mayank Yadav also returns to the squad for the first time since 2024. After missing the early stages of IPL 2025 before being ruled out midway through the season, Mayank returned to action in early 2026, featuring for India A in a T20 World Cup warm-up fixture against the USA. He also went wicketless in the four IPL matches he played in 2026.

Harsh Dubey has also earned his maiden T20I call-up after making his India debut in the ODI series against Afghanistan in June. He featured in eight matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026, picking up as many wickets.

India squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (VC), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK)

India tour of Zimbabwe, 2026

Dube named Nitish Reddy's replacement for England ODIs

Additionally, Shivam Dube will replace Nitish Reddy in India's squad for the ODIs against England. Reddy was earlier ruled out of the T20Is after suffering a quadriceps injury and has failed to recover in time for the ODI series.