Asian Games 2026: Varun Chakravarthy Ruled Out, DC All-Rounder Vipraj Nigam Named In India Squad

Indian Men's Cricket Team have made one change to their squad for the 2026 Asian Games, with Vipraj Nigam replacing Varun Chakravarthy who has been ruled out with a side strain.

Chakravarthy suffered the injury during the first T20I against Afghanistan and was later withdrawn from the ongoing series. He is now expected to remain out for some time.

Nigam In IPL

Nigam, a 22-year-old leg-spin all-rounder who plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, has played 19 IPL matches and taken 13 wickets. He has also impressed with the bat, striking at around 176 in the IPL.

Varun's Performance In IND Vs AFG T20I

Varun Chakravarthy played only the first T20I of the ongoing three-match Afghanistan series before being ruled out with a side strain.

His performance in that match was:

Bowling: 4 overs

Runs conceded: 16

Wickets: 1

Economy: 4.00

Dot balls: 13

Wicket: Darwish Rasooli for 2

Boundaries conceded: 0

He bowled his third over when he felt sudden discomfort in his left lateral abdominal region. Scans later showed a side strain, ruling him out of the remaining two T20Is.

So, statistically, Varun had a very economical outing on his comeback, but the injury ended his Afghanistan series after just one match.

India's Asian Games 2026 Squad

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Vipraj Nigam, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

The men's cricket competition at the Asian Games will be played from September 24 to October 3, with India entering the competition at the quarter-final stage.

The change gives Nigam a chance to make his senior India debut at the continental event.