Canada have confirmed a 15-strong squad for next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, with 22-year-old all-rounder Dilpreet Bajwa named captain for the first time.
The Toronto-born right-hander, nine ODIs and 17 T20Is into his career, replaces veteran left-arm spinner Saad Bin Zafar. “It’s an honour, a little bit scary as well, but mostly exciting,” Bajwa said after the announcement. “We’ve spoken a lot about playing fearless cricket without being reckless.”
Key hitters in support
Yuvraj Samra, who strikes at more than 160 in T20Is, keeps his place at the top of the order. Head coach Pubudu Dassanayake noted: “Yuvraj gives us the early momentum; Dilpreet finishes games. That balance is vital on sub-continental pitches.”
Canada have retained the spine that went unbeaten in last year’s Americas qualifier. Pace pair Kaleem Sana and Dilon Heyliger share the new ball, while Nicholas Kirton’s left-handed fluency provides middle-order stability.
Group and fixtures
Canada sit in Group D with South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan and UAE. All four first-round matches are in India, starting against South Africa in Ahmedabad on 9 February. The top two progress to the Super Eights.
Second appearance, tempered expectations
The 2024 tournament, Canada’s maiden outing, brought a single victory over Ireland but also lessons. Analyst Farhan Lall observed, “They struggled defending totals above 170. The bowling group has since added pace variation, which should help on larger Indian grounds.”
Conditions and strategy
Most squad members had a brief spin-camp in Chennai in December, focusing on slower balls and power-hitting against wrist-spin. Bajwa believes the workouts will pay off: “Those sessions were sweaty and awkward, yet we learnt how the ball grips late in the evening.”
While knockout ambitions remain modest, Cricket Canada president Rashpal Binning insisted progress matters more than headlines. “A couple of competitive performances against major nations would show the programme is moving the right way,” he said.
Squad
Dilpreet Bajwa (capt), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.
