The United Arab Emirates (UAE) cricket team has publicly announced its lineup in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and is their third participation at the prestigious event in the world. The UAE hopes to score higher than in their past campaigns, which have ended at the group stage with their previous campaigns in 2014 and 2022 when the event will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka next month.
Muhammad Waseem to Head UAE Team
The leader of the 15-member UAE contingent is star batter Muhammad Waseem who has been appointed the captain. The leadership of Waseem will play an important role as the team gets ready to take on the best cricketing countries. The team clinched its spot in the 20-team event after a comprehensive victory against Japan in the Super Six of ICC Men T20 World Cup in Asia and East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier in Oman.
Squad Breakdown: Youth and Old Man
The UAE squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 combines experienced players and emerging talent, as announced by the UAE Cricket Board.
The Full 15-Member 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
Experienced Coaching Staff
The coaches at UAE have been exposed to numerous experiences in the international arena. Lalchand Rajput remains as head coach with Yasir Arafat, former Pakistan international coming in as fast bowling coach. Stanley Chioza of Zimbabwe has been hired to be the field coach of the team. Their experience as a whole is likely to equip the squad well to handle the tournament.
Pre-Tournament Fixtures
Before the World Cup, UAE will travel to Ireland to face a two-match T20I series. The team has also set warm-up matches with Nepal on February 3, and Italy on February 6. They start their official campaign against New Zealand at Chennai on February 10. Group D in which the UAE is ranked also consists of Canada, Afghanistan and South Africa and will also provide competitive matches that will test the skill and strategy of the team.
Expanding on previous performances
UAE has already registered in the T20 world cup two times. The team has been successful in the international stage even though it has been unable to advance to the final stage on either occasion, its performance has continued to improve. Muhammad Waseem has been a key player for UAE in previous T20 World Cups, and the team aims to build on its past experience.
Outlook and Expectations
The UAE team is a mixture of both the young and the older generation and provides a balanced team, which can compete with the established cricketing countries. The management and coaching staff are targeted towards strategic planning, fitness, and skill development so that they could be able to leave their mark in the tournament. The UAE team enters the T20 World Cup 2026 with confidence, aiming to perform strongly in their Group D matches.
The fans of cricket are urged to watch it live. The ICC Men T20 World Cup 2026 tickets are available and this is an opportunity to attend some of the most thrilling international cricket events in India and Sri Lanka.
Conclusion
UAE goes into the T20 World Cup 2026 with confidence and hope with a well-motivated team, quality coaching staff and a good preparation program. Although Group D offers a strong competition, the latest development of the team and the proper planning indicates that they may reach new heights in this iteration of the world tour. The fans all over the world will be keenly following the game where Muhammad Waseem and his teammates will be on the field with the aim of taking UAE cricket to the next level on the T20 world cup stage.
