India squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer named captain, Tilak Varma deputy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced India’s men’s cricket squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, with Shreyas Iyer set to lead the side and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earning a maiden call-up to the senior national T20 setup.

The squad marks the beginning of a new chapter in India’s white-ball plans, with Iyer replacing Suryakumar Yadav as captain. The decision continues the selectors’ recent push towards building a wider leadership pool ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2028.

The biggest talking point, however, is the inclusion of 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Rajasthan Royals star has enjoyed a meteoric rise following a record-breaking IPL 2026 season and had been widely tipped for a national call-up.

India’s Squad for Asian Games 2026

Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah.

— BCCI (@BCCI) India squad for Asian Games 2026:

Iyer was picked for the home T20I series against New Zealand ahead of the T20 World Cup as a replacement for injured Tilak Varma, but didn’t get a chance to play. At 31, Iyer returns to the T20I fold not only as a batter but as India’s 15th captain in the shortest format, entrusted with steering the side into the next phase of its dominating journey.

It is also the second successive instance of an Indian captain being replaced soon after lifting an ICC trophy. In 2025, Rohit Sharma led India to the Champions Trophy triumph in March, but was replaced by Shubman Gill as the ODI captain before India toured Australia in October. For now, June 6 will be remembered as the day India signalled its intent for moving into the future by making Shreyas the T20I captain.

Asian Games 2026 Cricket Tournament

The cricket competition at the Asian Games will be held in Japan between September 24 and October 3, 2026. India, along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Japan, received direct qualification for the men’s event.