Italy Squad - (Source: X.Com)
On Saturday, January 17, Italy unveiled their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. Notably, Italy, which will be featuring in their maiden World Cup, have become the 16th team out of 20 participating nations to reveal their squad.
Wayne Madsen will lead the side as Joe Burns faces the axe and is not a part of the squad because of the recent spoiled relations with the board. Interestingly, India-born Jaspreet Singh has also made it to the 15-member squad. Here is Italy’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026.
Italy squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Wayne Madsen (C), Marcus Campopiano (wk), Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Draca
Joe Burns and his ruined relations with the Italy Board
For the unversed, one of the major reasons why Italy are playing their maiden T20 World Cup is because of former-Australia cricket Joe Burns, who represented the Kangaroos till 2024, before shifting to play for Italy as a tribute to his late brother.
Burns made his debut during the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifiers, where he slammed 211 runs in five innings, averaging 70.33. He extended his great run in the advanced round and slammed 60 runs in three innings, helping Italy to qualify.
However, in November, Burns complaint of how things were running behind the scenes in Italian cricket, which didn’t go well with the board. As reported by Fox Sports, some messages were sent by Joe Burns to his teammates on November 12. The fallout began when he pushed for better systems, clearer communication, and stronger integrity within the setup, all with the goal of helping the team perform better.
Burns stated that he was told his expectations were “above the standards of Italian cricket,” and as a result, the board decided to sack him as a captain and not keep Burns in World Cup plans.
Former SA star JJ Smuts named in Italy squad
Notably, Italy have named former South Africa star JJ Smuts in the squad, who will now play a key role going into the World Cup. The 37-year-old represented the Proteas from 2017 to 2021, but moved to Italy in late 2025.
He will be making his Italy debut in the 2026 T20 World Cup and will bring the experience that the team requires after Burns’ departure.
Coaching staff and schedule
Talking about the coaching and support staff. John Davison has been appointed head coach for the tournament, with Kevin O’Brien and Douglas Brown named as assistant coaches. Further, Italy have been placed in Group C with Bangladesh, West Indies, England, and Nepal.
Further, Italy will kickstart its T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 9 against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, at present, there is uncertainty whether the Tigers will play in India or not. Therefore, there can be a change in venue as well.
