South Africa Announce T20 World Cup 2026 Squad: Full Players List

Aiden Markram to captain 15-player squad; Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs left out

South Africa announced their 15-player squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday, January 2. Aiden Markram will lead the team. The tournament runs from February 7 to March 8 across India and Sri Lanka.

Shukri Conrad continues as head coach. The squad features four specialist pace bowlers, one specialist spinner, and a mix of experienced and young players. South Africa are placed in Group D alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.

Complete 15-Player Squad

South Africa picked 15 players for the 2026 T20 World Cup, mixing veterans with young talent. Aiden Markram leads a squad where six players are over 30 and two haven’t hit 25 yet. They’ve got three wicketkeepers, five all-rounders, and four frontline pacers, which gives the team options depending on pitch conditions.

Batters:

• Tony de Zorzi (28 years old, left-handed, Durban’s Super Giants)
• David Miller (36 years old, left-handed, Paarl Royals)
• Dewald Brevis (22 years old, right-handed, Pretoria Capitals)

Wicketkeepers:

• Quinton de Kock (33 years old, left-handed, Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
• Donovan Ferreira (27 years old, right-handed, Joburg Super Kings)

All-rounders:

• Aiden Markram (captain, 31 years old, right-handed batter, off-break bowler, Durban’s Super Giants)
• George Linde (34 years old, left-handed batter, slow left-arm orthodox, MI Cape Town)
• Corbin Bosch (31 years old, right-handed batter, right-arm fast medium, MI Cape Town)
• Jason Smith (31 years old, right-handed batter, right-arm medium fast, MI Cape Town)
• Marco Jansen (25 years old, right-handed batter, left-arm fast, Sunrisers Eastern Cape)

Bowlers:

• Keshav Maharaj (36 years old, slow left-arm orthodox, Pretoria Capitals)
• Anrich Nortje (31 years old, right-arm fast, Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
• Lungi Ngidi (29 years old, right-arm fast, Pretoria Capitals)
• Kagiso Rabada (30 years old, right-arm fast, MI Cape Town)
• Kwena Maphaka (19 years old, left-arm fast, Durban’s Super Giants)

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Notable Omissions

Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs were left out of the squad. Both players featured in South Africa’s recent T20I matches. Rickelton is a wicketkeeper-batter who opened for South Africa in recent series. Stubbs is a middle-order batter known for big hitting.

The selectors picked Quinton de Kock and Donovan Ferreira as the two wicketkeepers instead. De Kock brings 13 years of international experience. Ferreira emerged as a power hitter in the SA20 league.

Youth and Experience Mix

Kwena Maphaka is the youngest player in the squad at 19 years old. He bowls left-arm fast for Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20. His selection shows South Africa’s willingness to back young talent.

David Miller and Keshav Maharaj are the oldest players at 36 years. Miller has played 118 T20 internationals for South Africa. Maharaj has taken 100 T20I wickets in his career.

Pace Attack

South Africa selected four specialist fast bowlers. Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Lungi Ngidi form the senior pace trio. All three bowl over 140 kmph regularly. Kwena Maphaka adds left-arm variety to the attack.

Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch provide additional pace bowling options. Both can bat in the lower middle order. Jason Smith offers right-arm medium pace as a sixth bowling choice.

Spin Options

Keshav Maharaj is the lone specialist spinner. He bowls slow left-arm orthodox. George Linde provides a second spin option with the same bowling style.

Aiden Markram can bowl off-spin. David Miller and Donovan Ferreira also bowl occasional off-spin. This gives the captain flexibility based on pitch conditions.

Group D Fixtures

South Africa faced four teams in the group stage. The top two teams from Group D advance to the Super Eight stage. New Zealand and Afghanistan are considered the strongest opponents in the group.

The tournament uses five venues in India and three venues in Sri Lanka. South Africa’s specific match schedule will be announced by the ICC in the coming weeks.

Teams can make changes to their squads until January 31, 2026. The provisional squad deadline was January 8, 2026. South Africa announced their final squad ahead of that date.

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