Dilpreet Singh Bajwa, a 22-year-old cricketer born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, has been named captain of the Canada national team for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March 2026.
Bajwa’s journey from being overlooked in Punjab’s domestic cricket system, where he struggled to secure selection despite strong performances, to leading an international side at cricket’s biggest T20 event is a remarkable turnaround. He moved to Canada in 2020, where he quickly established himself in the domestic circuit and earned a spot with the Montreal Tigers in Global T20 Canada before breaking into the national setup.
In T20 internationals, Bajwa has shown his batting prowess with a strike rate over 133, including several key innings that helped Canada qualify for the World Cup by dominating the Americas regional qualifiers.
Canada’s campaign begins against South Africa on 9 February in Ahmedabad, with group matches scheduled against New Zealand, Afghanistan and the UAE. Bajwa will lead a 15-member squad that includes players such as Yuvraj Samra, Nicholas Kirton and Navneet Dhaliwal among others.
His appointment underscores not only his personal resilience and growth as a cricketer but also the expanding role of associate nations like Canada in the global T20 landscape.
