Ishan Kishan is back in blue. The left-hander has earned a recall to India’s T20 World Cup squad as the BCCI announced its 15-member lineup, with Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma missing out.

“I am delighted. I’ve heard the news, and it makes me feel extremely happy,” Kishan told ANI.

After spending months on the sidelines, Kishan left the selectors with no choice but to take notice, by piling on the runs. His return has been driven by a sensational Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, where he led Jharkhand to their maiden title and finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.

Kishan amassed 571 runs in the competition, highlighted by a commanding century that underlined his form and intent. The call-up marks his first appearance in India colours since the T20I against Australia in Guwahati in 2023.

Also Read: Why Shubman Gill was dropped from India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad - Ajit Agarkar explains

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium against the United States, before facing Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands in the group stage.

The tale of Ishan Kishan’s redemption

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan’s fall from India’s plans was swift and unforgiving. Once seen as a multi-format contender, the left-hander found himself dropped from both the Test and ODI setups, his name quietly disappearing from team sheets and selectors’ conversations. What followed was perhaps the harshest signal of all, the loss of his BCCI central contract, a reminder that in Indian cricket, momentum can vanish as quickly as it arrives.

The contract snub was more than a financial setback; it was a public demotion. It underlined concerns over availability, form and priorities, placing Kishan firmly outside the core group across formats. For a player who had recently worn India’s whites and dominated in ODIs, the fall was jarring, a reminder of how little room there is for uncertainty at the top level.

When the spotlight moved elsewhere, Kishan went back to the grind. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy became his stage, and he owned it emphatically. Leading Jharkhand with authority, he combined responsibility with flair, turning pressure into productivity. Run after run, match after match, Kishan rebuilt his case, not with words, but with weight of numbers.

By the end of the tournament, the numbers were impossible to ignore. Kishan topped the run charts with 571 runs, capped by a commanding century that felt less like a celebration and more like a statement. It was proof of growth, a batter who had learned patience without losing his natural aggression, leadership without burden, and hunger without desperation.

Now back in blue, Kishan returns sharper, humbler and battle-tested. This is not the comeback of a prodigy reclaiming his place, but of a cricketer who earned it the hard way. Redemption, in Kishan’s case, was never about proving people wrong, it was about proving himself right.