Asian Games: BCCI names Bumrah in full-strength squad
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a full-strength squad for the Men's T20 event at the 2026 Asian Games. The tournament will be held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Jasprit Bumrah has been included in the 15-member team. BCCI has also announced squads for the T20I tours of Ireland and England. Bumrah has been rested for these series. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer is now India's new T20I skipper.
Squad changes
Siraj replaced by Bumrah
Bumrah has replaced Mohammed Siraj, who is currently part of the T20I squads for Ireland and England. 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, having earned a maiden India call-up, will be vying for a top-order spot with regulars Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan. Newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer will lead the team in Japan, with Tilak Varma as his deputy. Meanwhile, Prince Yadav has also earned his first T20I call-up, for the England and Ireland series.
Tournament details
A look at the tournament format
The men's cricket competition at the Asian Games will be played in T20 format, starting September 24 with a final on October 3. A total of 10 teams - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman - will compete for the gold medal. The tournament will feature preliminary qualifiers (September 24-26), quarter-finals (September 28-29), semi-finals (October 1) and bronze medal/gold medal match on October 3.
Past performance
India won gold in Hangzhou
India had won the men's gold medal at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in October 2023. The final against Afghanistan was washed out after 18.2 overs but India was declared winners on the basis of being a higher-seeded team. In women's cricket, India had clinched gold by defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final of the 2023 Asian Games.
Squads
Here are the Indian squads
Squads for Ireland and England series: Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Squads for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Jasprit Bumrah.