New year, new promise: A look at domestic Indian cricketers best placed to break into the national team in 2026.
The year 2026 comes with new promise and opportunity for the domestic India players who are looking to earn their maiden stint with the national side. India will play five Tests, 18 ODIs, and 26 T20Is in the next 12 months, apart from the T20 World Cup 2026. This will provide them with enough chances to try their bench strength for the future.
Players like Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar have already been fast-tracked to the India A side. There are all possibilities that they might end up taking the final step forward to the senior team.
Meanwhile, players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi have already banged on the selectors’ door at a very young age. The onus now lies on the BCCI to ensure these youngsters are groomed carefully.
Let’s take a look at the domestic India players primed for internationals in 2026
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Bihar)
At just 14 years and 278 days old, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has already shown remarkable dominance. The left-handed opening batter from Bihar enjoyed a breakthrough IPL 2025 with the Rajasthan Royals, scoring 252 runs in seven innings at a staggering strike rate of 206.55.
His impact has extended beyond the IPL. In List-A cricket, Suryavanshi has amassed 353 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 164.95. More recently, he played a jaw-dropping knock of 190 against Arunachal Pradesh in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26 and piled up 261 runs at a strike rate of 182.51 during the Under-19 Asia Cup. How quickly he is ushered into the senior setup will now rest with the BCCI.
Read More: Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest centurion in men’s List A cricket; slams 84-ball 190 for Bihar
Auqib Nabi (Jammu and Kashmir)
Jammu and Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi has already established himself as a skilful swing bowler. India’s struggles after the opening spells of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj during the previous Test series in England underline why Aaqib could be a vital prospect.
In the first half of the Ranji Trophy 2025/26, he picked up 29 wickets in nine innings at an average of 13.27, which included three five-wicket hauls at a superb strike rate of 31.37. Moreover, he recorded 15 scalps in seven innings at an economy rate of 7.41 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26.
Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha) & Anukul Roy (Jharkhand)
With Ravichandran Ashwin retired and Ravindra Jadeja in the latter phase of his career, India will need to start grooming young spinners for the demands of Test cricket, especially left-armers, to replace Jadeja in the set-up.
Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey can be a good option. He was the highest wicket-taker in the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy with 69 wickets at 16.98. Handy with the bat, Harsh notched up 476 runs in 18 innings, thanks to five half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand’s Anukul Roy enjoyed a breakthrough Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 as a genuine all-rounder. He scored 303 runs at an outstanding average of 60.60, striking at 160, and complemented it with 18 wickets at a superb bowling average of 15.38, with a strike rate of one wicket every 12.5 balls. While he is not a regular member of the India A setup, his first-class credentials are far from underwhelming: 133 wickets in 44 matches at an average of 27, along with a comparable return with the bat.
Alongside these two names, Rajasthan’s emerging all-rounder Manav Suthar could also be in contention for a Test debut during India’s home series against Afghanistan in 2026.
Read More: SMAT 2025-26: Anukul Roy, the fuel behind Jharkhand’s fiery run to the final
Priyansh Arya (Delhi)
Just like Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya can also have a great future for India, especially in the white-ball formats. In IPL 2025, the left-handed batter scored 475 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 179.24 with two fifties and one century. He had a decent SMAT 2025/26 with 197 runs at a strike rate of 155.71.
Arya profiles as a natural replacement for Abhishek Sharma. Like Abhishek, he is fearless at the top of the order and looks to take the game on inside the powerplay. If he strings together another dominant IPL season in 2026, a national call-up during the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan could follow.
Read More: Priyansh Arya the next best thing in Indian cricket?
Ashok Sharma (Rajasthan) & Prince Yadav (Delhi)
Rajasthan’s Ashok Sharma has come under the spotlight for hurrying the batters with his thunderbolt deliveries. He finished the SMAT 2025/26 as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps in 10 innings at an average of just 15.63.
Ashok operates in the same high-pace mould as Umran Malik, a bowler whose career has been disrupted by persistent injuries. How he fares across IPL 2026 with the Gujarat Titans will be key in judging whether he can sustain that intensity at the highest level.
Delhi’s Prince Yadav stands out for his ability to vary pace without a noticeable change in action. His impressive return of 13 wickets in 10 matches at the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2024 earned him a domestic white-ball debut.
Since then, the right-arm pacer has claimed 19 wickets in nine List-A matches at an average of 20.68, while also picking up 22 wickets across 21 T20 innings at an economy rate of 8.55. His numbers make him another lucrative option under the left-arm pace profile.
Read More: Who is Ashok Sharma, Rajasthan pacer with most wickets in SMAT 2025-26?
Gurjapneet Singh (Tamil Nadu)
India continue to search for quality left-arm pace options across formats, with Arshdeep Singh currently the only established name. Even in T20Is, there is scope to field two left-arm fast bowlers when conditions and combinations allow.
Tamil Nadu’s Gurjapneet Singh has emerged as a compelling option, particularly in red-ball cricket. He has been incredibly successful in the domestic red-ball games with 31 wickets at an average of 20.74.
During the Ranji Trophy 2024/25, he picked up 13 wickets in seven innings at an average of 19.69. He continued the success with 10 wickets in three innings at an average of 24.10 in the Duleep Trophy 2025/26. 2026 could prove to be memorable for the left-arm quick with his numbers putting him firmly on the selectors’ radar.
Read More: Top 5 young pacers in Ranji Trophy 2025-26
