Former Captain Becomes Face of India-Sri Lanka Hosted 2026 T20 World Cup
MUMBAI: India’s former captain, Rohit Sharma, who led the nation to victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, has been named the Tournament Ambassador for the 2026 edition, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The announcement cements the two-time T20 World Cup winner’s association with the marquee event.
“It is great to have the tournament back in India and for me to be associated once again with the tournament, this time in a new capacity as the Brand Ambassador,” Sharma said, expressing his honour at the appointment. He added well wishes to the participating teams, hoping they would “enjoy India’s hospitality.”
The prolific opening batter, who holds the record for the most runs in Men’s T20I history with 4,231 runs, has been part of two successful World Cup campaigns. His first triumph came during his debut T20I series in the inaugural 2007 tournament, where he scored 88 runs without being dismissed, including a crucial 50 not out against South Africa and an unbeaten 30 in the final against Pakistan.
His second, and final, T20I tournament was in 2024, where he led from the front as captain and India’s highest run-scorer with 257 runs at a blistering strike rate of 156.70. His commanding 92 off 41 balls against Australia and 57 off 39 against England were standout knocks that propelled the ‘Men in Blue’ to the title.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be played from February 7 to March 8, 2026, across multiple venues in the sub-continent.
