India Asia Cup Squad: Surya Kumar Yadav to lead, Shreyas Iyer dropped; here's who got in

The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) on Tuesday officially announced India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28.

T20 captain Surya Kumar Yadav will lead the side, with Shubman Gill named vice-captain. The squad includes a blend of experienced campaigners and young talents, designed to handle the challenges of the T20 format in UAE conditions:

• Surya Kumar Yadav (C)
  Shubman Gill (VC)
• Abhishek Sharma
  
• Tilak Varma
  
• Hardik Pandya
  
• Shivam Dube
  
• Axar Patel
  
• Jitesh Sharma (WK)
  
• Jasprit Bumrah
  
• Arshdeep Singh
  
• Varun Chakaravarthy
  
• Kuldeep Yadav
  
• Sanju Samson (WK)
  
• Harshit Rana
  
• Rinku Singh

However, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were not found in the mix. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Jaiswal will have to wait for his turn.

"We have got some serious options in T20 squad...sometimes not the easiest squad to pick but good headache to have," said Agarkar, chairman of the BCCI Senior Men’s Selection Committee.

Asia Cup 2025: Dates & venues
The 17th Men’s Asia Cup will be hosted by the UAE from September 9 to September 28, 2025. Matches will be played across two premier stadiums: Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The tournament will follow the T20I format and is considered a vital preparatory step for teams ahead of the next year’s T20 World Cup, offering a chance to test combinations and strategies in competitive conditions.

Participating teams & groupings
Eight teams will compete in the Asia Cup, divided into two groups:

Group A:

• India
• Pakistan
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Oman

Group B:

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka
• Hong Kong

Group A, featuring both India and Pakistan, is expected to be fiercely contested, with fans already speculating about potential encounters and key match-ups.