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 leading the side and young sensation Vibhu Suryavanshi making his first call-up to the senior national T20 setup.The squad ushered in a new chapter in India’s white-ball plans, with Iyer captaining Suryakumar Yadav. The decision continues the selectors’ recent push to build a wider leadership pool ahead of the ICCT20 World Cup 2028. However, the biggest talking point is the inclusion of 15-year-old batting prodigy Vabhu Suryavanshi. The Rajasthan Royals star has enjoyed a meteoric rise after a record-breaking IPL 2026 season and was widely tipped for a national call-up.
India’s squad for Asian Games 2026
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakraborty, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshaddeep Singh, Vibhu Suryavanshi Jaspreet Bumrah.Iyer was selected for the home T20I series against New Zealand ahead of the T20 World Cup as a replacement for the injured Tilak Verma, but did not get a chance to play. At the age of 31, Iyer returned to T20Is not only as a batsman but also as India’s 15th captain, tasked with steering the team into the next phase of its dominant journey.This is also the second time in a row that an Indian captain has been replaced immediately after lifting the ICC trophy. In 2025, Rohit Sharma led India to a Champions Trophy victory in March, but was replaced as ODI captain by Shibman Gill before India toured Australia in October. For now, June 6 will be remembered as the day India signaled its intention to move forward by making Shreyas the T20I captain.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket Tournament
The Asian Games cricket competition will be held in Japan from September 24 to October 3, 2026. India have qualified directly for the men’s event along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Japan.
