Sanju Samson Excluded From Zimbabwe T20 Squad: BCCI Cites 2028 Planning, Confirms Asian Games Inclusion

After the series against England, the Indian team will tour Zimbabwe to play three T20 matches against each other. Indian wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson has been excluded from the team for the tour. This has led to a lot of discussions on the matter. Even former cricketers and spectators have been criticizing the move by the BCCI and team management.

Meanwhile, a Cricbuzz report claims that Sanju Samson has not been dropped, but has been rested. According to the report, BCCI sources say that this decision was not made without thought. It was taken with the 2028 T20 World Cup in mind. The team selection committee and management are already planning for 2028. As part of this roadmap, Prabhsimran Singh of Punjab Kings (PBKS) has been selected in the team in place of Sanju.

The Zimbabwe series was not part of the Indian team's original schedule; it was added later. The BCCI wants to try out new players on this tour. A source in the report said, "The team management wants to try out new players in this series, and where better opportunity can they find than this? Sanju has been thoroughly explained the board's thinking."

Samson still very much part of selectors' long-term strategy said a familiar source

He remains in India's squad for the Asian Games - no plans of recalling him from that event

Selectors looking to test a wider pool of players with 2028 World Cup in mind pic.twitter.com/BkY6jVEaDp

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— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) July 7, 2026

Sanju has not been completely dropped; it is just a short break. He is included in the Indian team for the Asian Games, and there are no plans to remove him from there. Sanju is not the only one to be dropped from the Zimbabwe series. Many big names like Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, and Prasidh Krishna are also not going to Zimbabwe this time. The selectors want to test as many players as possible for the 2028 squad.

Sanju's performance in Ireland and England was not particularly impressive, but the team management remains confident in him. One theory is that Sanju offered to step down before the Manchester T20 match to give young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi a chance. Sanju was also seen on TV having a serious discussion before the match.