Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal Snubbed from India’s Asia Cup Squad Despite Historic IPL Campaign, Shubman Gill Returns as VC

Additionally, Jasprit Bumrah is another player who returns to the side, despite doubts over his workload management. Bumrah, who was named Player of the Series for his impressive performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he last played for India in the final, replaces out-of-form Mohammed Shami. The bowling unit further comprises Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Kuldeep Yadav .

Furthermore, the batting lineup includes Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, and Jitesh Sharma, while all-rounders in the squad are Hardik Pandya , Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel. Despite being named vice-captain, Gill’s batting position in the playing XI is uncertain, as Abhishek and Samson are expected to retain their roles as openers, having performed brilliantly over the past year in series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England.

The most notable omission from the Asia Cup squad is Shreyas Iyer, a decision that has raised eyebrows given his impressive recent performances in white-ball cricket, including his crucial role in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy victory.

The 30-year-old, who scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in the 2025 IPL season, and also led Punjab Kings to the final, failed to secure a spot in the final 15, with Agarkar stating that he would have to wait for his chance. He told the reporters:

With regard to Shreyas [Iyer], who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance.

Yashasvi Jaiswal also missed out, despite being in direct competition with the Abhishek Sharma, but the left-handed opener has been named as one of the five reserve players. 2025 IPL Purple Cap winner Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel, are the four other reserve players.

Former India Batting Coach Questions Shreyas Iyer’s Exclusion from Asia Cup Squad

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who was until recently, a part of Gautam Gambhir‘s entourage, criticized the selection committee for leaving Shreyas Iyer out of the Asia Cup squad. Nayar went on to question the selectors’ attitude toward the star Indian batter and made claims of favoritism.

Speaking on Star Sports, Nayar expressed disbelief that Shreyas Iyer was not even included in the list of five reserve players, despite being such a strong contender. Nayar questioned the selection strategy, and even went on to claims that the 30-year-old Punjab Kings captain is not liked by the team management and that young players like Riyan Parag are being favored over the composed Indian batter. Abhishek Nayar on Star Sports:

I wanted to ask him [Ajit Agarkar] how he [Shreyas Iyer] is not among the reserve players, if he is such a strong contender?… Maybe Shreyas Iyer isn’t as liked as someone else is.

Abhishek Nayar’s comments have sparked a debate over the process of selecting the squad, which many have pointed out lacks fairness and transparency. Not only Iyer, but several other big names have also been left out, including KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, and Mohammed Siraj.