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BCCI announces India squad for Asia Cup 2025 in UAE; Gill named Vice Captain
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the notable omissions from the squad.
- PUBLISHED: Tue 19 Aug 2025, 1:36 PM UPDATED: Tue 19 Aug 2025, 6:53 PM
On Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for next month’s Asia Cup, which will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The selection included a few surprises. Suryakumar Yadav was named captain, with Shubman Gill appointed as vice-captain in place of Axar Patel. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the notable omissions.
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At a press conference on August 18, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav addressed questions after unveiling the squad.
Agarkar, highlighting the large number of options that they had to choose from, said that while this wasn't "the easiest squad to pick" but it was a "good headache to have"
Here's the full list of the squad for the tournament:
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
'This is not the final squad'
Agarkar clarified that the team announced was not the final squad for the T20 World Cup. One of the key considerations, he explained, was whether the team would require four spinners. “The captain and coach will take the call on the best balance for the team,” he said, adding that more clarity would come once the squad assembled in Dubai.
He also pointed out that the recent form of players such as Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson has given the selectors more options to consider.
Tournament structure
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has already confirmed the venues for the tournament, which will be played in the T20I format. The event features eight teams: the five full ACC members — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — along with the UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong.
The teams are divided into two groups:
Group A: India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman
Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong
Although India is the official host, an agreement between the BCCI and the PCB ensures that, for the next three years, any tournament staged in India or Pakistan will use a neutral venue for matches between the two sides.
