Former India captain Rohit Sharma, who led India to victory in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, has been named the tournament ambassador for the 2026 edition, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. This appointment honors his influential and enduring presence in the T20 format, where he amassed 4,231 runs at an average of 32.01 and a strike rate close to 141.​

Rohit’s journey began as a fearless 20-year-old in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, shining with crucial unbeaten innings including 30* in the final against Pakistan, and 50* against South Africa in the Super Eights, helping India lift the trophy. Seventeen years later, he capped his international T20 career with a spectacular leadership performance in 2024, scoring 257 runs at a strike rate of 156.70 in the tournament. Notably, his blazing 92 off 41 balls in the Super Eights against Australia and valuable half-century in the semifinal against England were key milestones on India’s march to glory.

ICC chairman Jay Shah announced the appointment on Instagram, heralding Rohit as “the winning captain of the 2024 T20 World Cup, and a player who has been in all nine editions so far.” On accepting the ambassador role, Rohit expressed his excitement, highlighting his pride to be associated once again with the esteemed tournament and his wishes for all players to enjoy and create memorable experiences along with India’s hospitality.