Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in, Rajat Patidar out — India's probable squad for Asian Games 2026 cricket revealed

India’s current 15-year-old sensational star player, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has been picked in the squad of 30-strong longlist of men’s probables that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has submitted to the IOA for the Asian Ganes in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 04. 

Surprisingly, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajat Patidar, who won their very first title of the league last year and has done really well since 2024, has not been considered for the selection. 

From IPL breakout to Asian Games: Why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has earned his India call-up in 2026

Sooryavanshi, heading into the IPL 2026, has been the leading run-getter of the competition. The teenager has smashed 776 runs in 16 innings of the event at an average of 48.50 and a blistering strike rate of 237.50, thanks to five half-centuries and one century at the best score of 103 runs.

The left-handed batter was in superb touch for the Rajasthan Royals in their two Playoff clashes. Against the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad, the southpaw clubbed a fine knock of 97 runs off 29 balls, thanks to 12 sixes and five boundaries at a strike rate of 334.48. He was inches closer from breaking the record of the fastest IPL century.

Two evenings later, Sooryavanshi blasted a tremendous knock of 96 runs off 47 balls, thanks to seven sixes and eight boundaries against the Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier. He will be anticipated to continue the same approach in the Asian Games.

Rajat Patidar dropped: What his Asian Games exclusion means for his India future

The RCB captain, Rajat Patidar, was in a supreme touch in 2024 when he nailed 395 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 177.13 with five fifties at the best score of 55 runs. In 2024, he clubbed 312 runs at a strike rate of 143.77. 

In the ongoing season, the Madhya Pradesh-born has scored 486 runs at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 196.76 with five half-centuries. This was included of his mind-boggling knock of 93* in just 33 balls against the Titans in the first qualifier.

See Also: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets blank cheque bat deal offer ahead of IPL 2026 Qualifier 2

Despite this, he hasn’t been picked in the probable squad for the Asian Games. That means the selectors perhaps are keeping an eye on him to be part of the West Indies series at that time. He will boost the balance of the side more than anyone else.

India's full 30-player probable squad for Asian Games 2026 cricket — Every inclusion, every surprise omission

It has been pre-decided that the BCCI will need to select two separate T20I team as India’s white-ball series against the West Indies will overlap during the time. The home series, which is consisted of eight-ball games of three ODIs and five T20Is, will happen between September 27 and October 17.

Shubman Gill is expected to lead the team in the 50-over format, and that is why he hasn’t been picked for the Asian Games. India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, Suryakumar Yadav, is no longer in the larger scheme of things for the 2028 Olympic Games and the next World Cup.

See Also: Mo Bobat reveals who transformed Rajat Patidar into RCB's biggest match-winner in IPL 2026

The captaincy band for the Asian Games will be between Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, and Tilka Varma, while Jasprit Bumrah will give priority to the ODIs before the 2027 World Cup.

Asian Games 2026 Probable list of players-

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), 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.