India A squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 announced, Tilak Varma named captain

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) came forward and announced India A’s squad for the upcoming edition of the ACC Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026. The tournament will be held in a 50-over format and is slated to be held from 19 November to 29 November.

With the squad being announced, star batter Tilak Varma has been named as the skipper of the team. The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Prince Yadav, Harshit Rana, and many stars have been included in the squad. 

Rajat Patidar has been named the vice-captain of the side, and India A will look to put in a good showing in the tournament. The tournament also marks the return of Harshit Rana, who has been ruled out of contention due to an injury that he sustained on the tour to England. 

India A have been placed in Group B in the tournament alongside the likes of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, and Pakistan-A. The side will be taking on Nepal on November 20, Pakistan A on November 22, and the UAE on November



24. 

On the other hand, Group B sees the likes of Bangladesh-A, Afghanistan-A, and Sri-Lanka-A. The top two sides from each group will progress through to the knockout stages. 

With the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 all set to kick off on November 19th, many eyes will be set upon the Indian team’s opening duo of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma. Coming on the back of an exceptional series against New Zealand, Abhishek Sharma will hope to replicate his performances once more. 

On the other hand, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did not get as many chances for India in the recent West Indies and New Zealand series, playing only one game against New Zealand, where he scored 45 runs in 19 deliveries, and it could be interesting to see how he fares in the Rising Stars Asia Cup. 

India A squad: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh [wk], Tilak Varma [c], Rajat Patidar [vc], Rinku Singh, Kumar Kushagra [wk], Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshad Khan.