T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma will lead India A at the 2026 Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha, Qatar. The men’s selection committee has appointed two-time IPL-winning captain Rajat Patidar as his deputy.
The tournament will take place from November 19 to 29. Prabhsimran Singh and Kumar Kushagra will serve as wicketkeepers in the 15-member squad, which also features Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Rinku Singh.
Seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana has earned selection while recovering from a rectus femoris strain sustained during bowling in a match simulation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on September 7. He had initially reported there for hamstring injury rehabilitation.
Tanush Kotian, Vipraj Nigam, Arshad Khan, Prince Yadav, Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed and Harsh Dubey complete the squad.
Their selection means they will miss a significant portion of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for their respective states.
Major Changes from Previous Squad
India A have revamped their squad considerably from last year’s Doha campaign. Tilak and Patidar replace Jitesh Sharma and Naman Dhir as captain and vice-captain. Sooryavanshi, Shedge and Dubey are the only players retained from the 2025 team.
India A will compete in Group B alongside the UAE, Nepal and Pakistan A. Bangladesh A, Sri Lanka A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong, China form Group A.
India A will begin against Nepal on November 20 at West End Park International Stadium. They will face Pakistan A on November 22 before meeting the UAE on November 24 at the University of Doha for Science and Technology.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals on November 26 and 27. Organisers have scheduled the final for November 29.
India A Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (captain), Rajat Patidar (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav and Arshad Khan.
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