Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Sumeet Verma has been included in Uganda’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier.
Uganda squad features five Indian domestic cricketers
Sumeet, a 34-year-old batting all-rounder, was part of the Indian domestic circuit as recently as this year. He represented Himachal Pradesh in seven matches in India’s most recent domestic T20 tournament, the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also played five List A matches in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with his last appearance coming against Andhra Pradesh in January.
Sumeet will join a 15-member Uganda squad led by Riazat Shah for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier starting September 26.
Overall, in 54 T20s, he has scored 607 runs at an average of 15.50 and a strike rate of 139, including five half-centuries. In List A cricket, he has scored 974 runs at an average of 22.65, with seven fifties, since his Indian domestic debut in 2009.
However, his first-class numbers suggest that the format is his strongest suit: 1,367 runs at an average of 34.17, including two centuries and eight fifties.
Sumeet is the second player in the Uganda squad to have made the switch from Himachal Pradesh. The 38-year-old Raghav Dhawan, who last played a Ranji Trophy match for the Indian domestic side in January 2023, has already represented Uganda in 17 T20Is, scoring 353 runs at an average of 23.53 and a strike rate of 104, including a top score of 56.
Dinesh Nakrani (Saurashtra), Shrideep Mangela (Mumbai) and Gaurav Tomar (Uttar Pradesh) are three other Uganda players who have played in Indian domestic cricket in the past.
Uganda are placed in Group B of the tournament along with Botswana, Tanzania, and hosts Zimbabwe. Group A features Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, and Nigeria. Each team will play the other group rivals once, with the top two teams from each group clashing in the semi-finals. The finalists will seal a spot in the 2026 T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Uganda finished as runners-up in the last Africa Qualifier, making their T20 World Cup debut in 2024. Their maiden victory in the tournament came against Papua New Guinea, with Riazat Ali Shah putting up a Player of the Match performance.
Uganda squad for ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2025
Riazat Shah (c), Joseph Baguma, Robinson Obuga, Dinesh Nakrani, Cyrus Kakuru, Alpesh Ramjani, Miyaji Juma, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssengondo, Cosmas Kyewuta, Sumeet Verma, Gaurav Tomar, Shrideep Mangela, Raghav Dhawan, Innocent Mwebaze
— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) September 22, 2025
Image Credit: Instagram/sumeetverma05
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