This shows the vast talent pool in India, making the selection for T20Is extremely difficult.
With the Asia Cup 2025 set to begin on September 9, India announced its squad earlier this week, which included some surprising decisions regarding player exclusions. As far as the squad is concerned, India still looks strong and will be among the favourites to win the tournament, but a few selections and omissions have raised eyebrows.
ABF
–
SKA
95/4
SLK
–
BR
–
DCDM
210/6
DVDM
60/3
MIEDM
–
GGDM
–
SWDM
–
ADKRDM
–
GGDM
–
DCDM
–
NDT
69/1
CDK
167/8
New Delhi Tigers beat Central Delhi Kings by 9 wickets (D/L) method
SDS
–
WDL
–
PD
–
CDK
–
SDSW
121/8
CDQW
26/1
ROM
129/6
CZR
133/7
Czech Republic beat Romania by 3 wickets
ROM
143/4
CZR
155/3
Czech Republic beat Romania by 12 runs
ROM
93/4
CZR
92/8
Romania won by 6 wickets
AUST
155/6
BEL
154/10
Austria beat Belgium by 4 wickets
AUST
146/6
BEL
144/9
Austria beat Belgium by 4 wickets
BAC
–
UCCB
–
LKLS
–
ACB
–
UCCB
–
ACB
–
BAC
–
UCCB
–
LKLS
–
ACB
–
DURH
300/8
BB
163/3
NOR
189/10
MID
192/6
KENT
269/9
SOM
213/4
ESS
289/10
GLO
159/10
Essex beat Gloucestershire by 130 runs
SUSS
284/9
YOR
74/1
HAM
179/3
DER
339/5
LEI
150/4
WOR
328/10
NOT
78/2
SURR
289/8
QAT
127/1
KNY
242/8
PNG
148/10
KWT
149/6
Kuwait beat Papua New Guinea by 4 wickets
JER
–
DEN
–
GER-W
44/8
IRE-W
223/1
Ireland Women beat Germany Women by 179 runs
ITA-W
86/9
NED-W
21/0
KRMPS
–
SBSCC
–
BNC
–
KUMS
–
CAGS
174/3
ATR
173/7
Calicut Globstars beat Adani Trivandrum Royals by 7 wickets
KBTS
14/0
ARKS
236/5
ARKS
–
TTS
–
ALRS
–
ATR
–
BNB
146/9
MGD
149/1
Mangalore Dragons won by 9 wickets
SML
39/3
MYW
180/6
SML
–
HBT
–
MGD
–
GBM
–
YSG
128/10
ROS
133/3
Royal Oman Stallions beat Yallah Shabab Giants by 7 wickets
MAT
–
RNC
9/0
RNC
–
ROS
–
MUT
–
IAI
–
AUS
431/2
SA
155/10
Australia won by 276 runs
IPS
116/10
TMB
119/2
Toombul beat Ipswich by 8 wickets
SBB
2/0
WSS
–
SGR
149/5
WYN
148/10
Sandgate Redcliffe beat Wynnum Manly by 5 wickets
RLS
173/6
SSC
158/10
Redlands beat Sunshine Coast by 15 runs
GCT
133/7
UOQ
132/8
Gold Coast beat University of Queensland by 3 wickets
NSBB
187/8
VLLY
232/4
Valley beat Northern Suburbs by 45 runs
NSBB
–
GCT
–
WEF
150/6
TRR
152/7
MAO
–
BIP
–
OVI
–
LOS
–
WFW-W
122/9
TRW-W
145/6
Trent Rockets Women beat Welsh Fire Women by 23 runs
MOW-W
84/7
BIP-W
111/3
OIW-W
–
LSW-W
–
CHK
130/10
AS-A
131/4
Adelaide Strikers Academy beat Chicago Kingsmen by 6 wickets
PS
107/10
PSA
155/8
Perth Scorchers Academy beat Pakistan Shaheens by 48 runs
AS-A
190/6
PSA
205/2
Perth Scorchers Academy beat Adelaide Strikers Academy by 15 runs
MEMA
184/7
NOSK
143/9
Meerut Mavericks beat Noida Super Kings by 41 run
KARS
126/1
LUF
–
KASS
–
MEMA
–
KARS
–
GOLS
–
India now have so much depth in every position that leaving out certain players has become very difficult. If we make an XI from the excluded names, that team would still look pretty decent. This shows the depth and talent pool India have at the moment.
Let us take a look at India’s Unselected XI for the Asia Cup 2025.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is one of the surprising names to miss out on the Asia Cup 2025 squad. He was one of the players many thought would be selected because of the form he has shown in T20Is, having scored 723 runs in 22 innings so far. However, with Shubman Gill holding the vice-captaincy role and having better statistics than him in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the past three seasons, Abhishek Sharma being in top form as the No.1 T20I batter, and Sanju Samson performing well as the wicketkeeper in recent matches, Jaiswal had to be left out.
He has, however, been included in the standby list, so there could be an opportunity for him later. Even if not in the Asia Cup, with many matches coming up before the T20 World Cup in 2026, he might still get his chance.
Sai Sudharsan, the Orange Cap winner from the IPL 2025, also had to miss out on the Asia Cup squad. He scored 759 runs in 15 matches for the Gujarat Titans, and since his debut in 2022, he has only got better every season.
However, at the international level, he has played only one T20I because of the tough competition, and putting him directly into the Asia Cup squad would not have been ideal. He might get his opportunity later, as there are plenty of matches lined up.
KL Rahul scored 539 runs in the 13 matches he played in the IPL 2025 at an average of 53.90, yet he missed out on the Asia Cup 2025 squad. He has not been part of the T20I team since 2022.
Since then, India have tried different options in the opening role. After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired, the focus is now on Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as the two new openers. With Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal also in contention, Rahul’s chances of making a T20I comeback look difficult.
One of the difficult and surprising decisions is that Shreyas Iyer was not included in the squad. He has been performing well as a player and as a leader in the IPL, scoring 604 runs in IPL 2025 and taking the Punjab Kings to the final, after winning the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 as captain. He also played a key role in helping India win the Champions Trophy 2025.
Still, there is no place for him in the squad. This decision has surprised many because, with the form he is in, he could have easily made the team. He is not even in the reserves, which shows he has not been considered recently, though he might get his chance in the upcoming series.
Riyan Parag has not been selected for the Asia Cup squad but is on the standby list. Since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach, Riyan Parag has featured for India in T20Is, but his recent form has not been great.
In IPL 2025, he scored 393 runs. India have also used him as a part-time all-rounder who can bowl a couple of decent overs. However, there are still players above him in the pecking order.
Dhruv Jurel has been picked as a standby player for the Asia Cup 2025. With Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma already in the team, it was difficult for him to make it to the main squad.
Both wicketkeepers have been in good form. Samson has performed well in international matches over the past year. Jitesh, who had a brilliant IPL 2025, cannot be ignored. Jurel might still get his opportunity in the upcoming series after the Asia Cup.
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Washington Sundar has been added as a standby player in the squad. It was difficult for him to make the team, as India already have Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav in the main squad, along with Axar Patel as an all-rounder.
Abhishek Sharma has also been bowling a couple of overs, which further reduced Sundar’s chances. He has performed well across formats, and most recently in the Test series against England. He remains behind in the pecking order because of the competition for his role.
Vipraj Nigam, in his debut season, took 11 wickets and scored 142 runs lower down the order. The 21-year-old will have to wait for his chance. If he keeps performing, an international call-up may not be far away.
From the bowling department, Prasidh Krishna’s exclusion from the Asia Cup squad is a surprise for everyone. He was the Purple Cap winner in IPL 2025, representing the Gujarat Titans with 25 wickets. Given his form, many expected him to make the cut.
For now, he is on the standby list. Krishna will be hoping for his chance to perform with plenty of matches coming up after the Asia Cup.
Sai Kishore has only played T20Is for India, which came during the Asian Games 2023. Since then, he has not featured for the national team. But he has been a regular performer in domestic cricket and in the IPL, where he took 19 wickets in the 2025 season.
However, given the competition for spin options in the main squad, there are still more experienced players ahead of Kishore, making it difficult for him to break into the team.
Mohammed Siraj has not been picked in the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. The pacer was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2024. But he has not featured in T20Is since July, when he last played in the series against Sri Lanka.
In IPL 2025, he claimed 16 wickets in 15 matches. This break might help him improve, as he has often returned stronger after a layoff. With plenty of matches left before the World Cup, Siraj will look to make use of any opportunity that comes his way.
