In a historic move, Indian cricket legend Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the official brand ambassador for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The announcement was made during the schedule unveiling ceremony in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 25, 2025.
A Unique Honor for a Playing Cricketer
The 2024 T20 World Cup-winning captain expressed his surprise and gratitude at being chosen for this prestigious role while he is still an active part of the Indian ODI team. Rohit Sharma revealed that he was informed that no active player has ever been announced as an ICC ambassador before, making this appointment particularly special.
"I was told by someone that while playing no one has been announced as an ambassador, so it's a great privilege and honour for me," Sharma stated during the event. This unique circumstance highlights the immense respect and stature the veteran cricketer commands in the international cricket community.
From Player to Spectator: Rohit's New Role
Having retired from T20 Internationals after leading India to their second T20 World Cup triumph in 2024, Sharma acknowledged the strange feeling of watching major tournaments from home rather than participating on the field.
"To sit on the other side and watch, having played in each of these T20 World Cups so far, will feel different. I am getting used to sitting at home and watching," the cricketer shared, reflecting on his transition from active player to spectator and now ambassador.
India's Title Defense and Tournament Outlook
The 2026 T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, 2026. India finds itself in a challenging Group A alongside traditional rivals Pakistan, along with USA, Netherlands, and Namibia.
India will begin their campaign against the United States at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium. Rohit emphasized that the team cannot afford to be complacent despite their previous success.
"You cannot go into any tournament thinking you can take the foot off the pedal. You have to be on top of your game from ball one," Sharma cautioned. "All these teams are quite competitive and every team comes very well prepared. I am quite amazed to see Italy also there."
Expressing hope for India's successful title defense, the champion batsman added: "Hopefully we can again create the magic which we created last year with a different bunch of boys. It's a huge task to win an ICC event and in my 18 years I have been fortunate to win two recently. To finally come out and win those trophies feels good."
The ceremony was attended by several cricket dignitaries including ICC Chairman Jay Shah, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, India's current T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, and women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
