The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have officially unveiled their squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with star batter Muhammad Waseem entrusted to captain the 15-member side for the showpiece tournament in India and Sri Lanka.
The UAE secured qualification after a crucial Super Six victory over Japan at the Asia & East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in Oman, sealing their spot in the expanded 20-team event and marking their third appearance on cricket’s biggest T20 stage.
Backed by an experienced support staff, head coach Lalchand Rajput will be assisted by former Pakistan quick Yasir Arafat as fast-bowling coach, while Zimbabwe’s Stanley Chioza takes charge of fielding duties, forming a balanced management group aimed at sharpening both skill and discipline.
Preparations are already underway, with the UAE currently facing Ireland in a two-match T20I series before heading into warm-up fixtures against Nepal and Italy, giving the squad valuable match rhythm ahead of their tournament opener against New Zealand in Chennai on February 10.
Drawn in a challenging Group D alongside Afghanistan, South Africa, Canada, and the Kiwis, the Emiratis will look to break past previous group-stage exits in 2014 and 2022, carrying fresh belief, a settled core, and the fearless leadership of Waseem as they chase their most competitive World Cup campaign yet.
Squad: Muhammad Waseem (C), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
