Jasprit Bumrah is back in India’s T20I setup. The selectors have named him in a 15-member full-strength squad for the Men’s T20 cricket event at the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
Bumrah had been rested from India’s ongoing T20I tours of Ireland and England, with the team management prioritising ODI cricket ahead of the 2027 World Cup. His return for the Asian Games signals how seriously India is treating the tournament, especially with a gold medal defence on the line.
Mohammed Siraj, who is part of the Ireland and England T20I squads, does not find a place in the Asian Games squad. Prince Yadav, the 16th member of those touring squads, has also been left out.
Shreyas Iyer to Lead, Tilak Varma as Deputy
Newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer will lead India at the Asian Games. Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain. The selection comes after a significant shift in India’s T20I leadership, with Suryakumar Yadav dropped from the format entirely — a call chief selector Ajit Agarkar described as the “best way forward.”
The top order will have Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan as the regular three, with Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel providing the middle-order depth and all-round balance.
In the spin department, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi will handle the bulk of the work, while Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh join Bumrah in the pace attack.
Sooryavanshi Gets Another Shot at the Top Order
One of the more talked-about inclusions is 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who will compete for a top-order spot in the squad. The teenager has already caught attention this season, and Agarkar noted that Sooryavanshi “picked himself” into the setup, adding that selectors have “high hopes” for him going forward.
His inclusion alongside seasoned openers makes the batting order a genuine selection puzzle for Iyer and the team management to sort out ahead of the tournament.
India Defend Gold on a Busy Schedule
India won the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The final against Afghanistan was washed out after 18.2 overs, and India were declared winners as the higher-seeded team. The women’s team also won gold that year, beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final.
The 2026 edition will feature ten men’s teams: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Oman. The tournament structure includes preliminary qualifiers from September 24 to 26, quarter-finals on September 28 and 29, semi-finals on October 1, and the bronze and gold medal matches on October 3.
The scheduling creates a tight window for India. The Asian Games men’s cricket final falls on October 3, just days before India’s five-match T20I series against West Indies begins on October 6. A three-ODI series against West Indies also runs from September 27 to October 3, overlapping directly with the Asian Games.
Managing two simultaneous international commitments will be a logistical challenge, but with a full-strength squad already in place, India has made their priorities clear — they are going to Japan to win.
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