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Why Is Sanju Samson Not in India Playing XI Tonight for IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 Match?

Sagar Paul

Last updated: February 15, 2026

3 min read

Why is Sanju Samson not in India playing XI tonight for IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 match? The reason is simple, he has been dropped as Abhishek Sharma is back in the team.

Why Is Sanju Samson Not in India Playing XI Tonight for IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026?

Since the toss, one question has been trending: “Why is Sanju Samson not in India playing XI tonight for IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026?” It is because Abhishek Sharma has recovered from an upset stomach and high fever and has returned to the XI. Sanju Samson, who played against Namibia in Abhishek’s absence, has been dropped for this match.

Pakistan won the toss and have put India to bat first. They are using the same playing XI as their last match. Suryakumar Yadav announced another change, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav in place of Arshdeep Singh.

Playing XIs for IND vs PAK

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (w), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Tariq

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Sanju Samson Recent Form a Major Concern

Sanju’s form has also dipped in recent matches. In his last 11 T20I innings, he has scored only 183 runs at an average of 16.63, without a single fifty. Four of those scores were in single digits. Even when he has looked in good touch, he has failed to convert his starts. In the previous match, for example, he scored 22 off just seven balls but got out on the very next delivery.

So, his poor run of form is also a key reason which has led to,” Why is Sanju Samson not in India playing XI tonight for IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026?”

India Eye Super 8 Spot with Win Over Pakistan

India are currently at the top of Group A with two wins from two matches. They have the same points as Pakistan, but India have a better net run rate.

If India win this match, they will qualify directly for the Super 8 stage with one game still left, which will be against the Netherlands on February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Apart from India and Pakistan, the other three teams in the group can win a maximum of only two matches. So, if India beat Pakistan, they will qualify for the next stage. And if they also win against the Netherlands, they will finish as table toppers.

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