BCCI Names 30 Probables for Asian Games 2026; Suryakumar Yadav, Gill Miss Out; Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Included

A 30-member list of probable names for the men's cricket tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (September 19-October 4) has been submitted by the BCCI to the OCA. The most striking point of the announcement is the exclusion of Indian T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav and skipper of Test and ODI sides Shubman Gill from the squad pool, with teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi getting a call-up in the list of likely players.

India will be playing two different teams during this period since the West Indies white ball home series coincides with the Asian Games. This series will feature three ODIs and five T20s which will be played from September 27 to October 17. Due to this a larger list of probable players will have to be maintained by the selectors.

There was an expectation of Gill missing out as he is likely to lead the Indian team in the ODI series against West Indies, there was also no shock when Suryakumar missed out as reports claim he is no longer part of India's long-term vision for the 2028 Olympics and the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Sooryavanshi Earns Spot, Captaincy Options Identified

One of the most thrilling elements from the long list is the presence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who has earned his place through sheer performance and is continuing to climb the ranks.

Amongst the members of the list there are a number of players who will possibly be captaining India at the Asian games. Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma are understood to be top candidates for captaincy if they get selected to the playing eleven.

In the 2022 Asian games India grabbed the gold medal in men's cricket under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad. Even with consistent dips in form he seems to have earned a spot again among the probable players for the games.

Other names among the long list for the batting line-up include Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Bumrah Among Bowlers, Spin Options Under Focus

In the pace bowling front, Jasprit Bumrah makes the cut despite possibilities that he would be rested from the ODI series while India looks to build up for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Harshit Rana, whose fitness should see him fit for the event while also included among the 30-man squad, is joined by Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Thakur.

The spin department consists of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey. Not all would make the final squad for Asian Games, while others can also be rested from the West Indies series.

Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam also get in as spin and all-round options.

The final squad, closer to the event, would reveal more but this longlist gives a fair indication to the thinking process of India's plans as they have two major tours to handle.

India's 30-Man Asian Games Probables

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Ayush Badoni, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Vipraj Nigam, Harshit Rana, Yash Thakur, Washington Sundar.