The BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 on Tuesday, scheduled to take place in the UAE from 9 September. Shreyas Iyer was not picked for the Asia Cup squad following the meeting of the Selection Committee of the BCCI led by Ajit Agarkar and Suryakumar Yadav.
Why was Shreyas Iyer Not Included in the squad?
Team India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarified the reasons behind Shreyas Iyer’s omission in a press conference following the meeting. He said, “Shreyas Iyer. No fault of his. He has just had to wait for his chance. You have to tell me, who you will replace him with?” asked Agarkar. “It’s just that you can pick 15 and at the moment, he’ll have to wait for his chance,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer features as a middle-order batsman for India at the T20I stage. Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel have their places in the middle order confirmed. This meant it was probably between Tilak Verma and Iyer for the remaining spot, and Tilak Verma was the man chosen for the job. It is, however, shocking that the right-handed batsman couldn’t even find a spot in the list of the five reserves.
Does Shreyas Iyer Deserve a Place in the Squad based on his Recent Performances?
Shreyas Iyer has enjoyed a very strong 2025, and the player is in top form. The year started with Iyer helping India lift the ICC Champions Trophy, finishing as the highest run-scorer for India.
He followed that up with an impressive campaign in the IPL, leading the Punjab Kings to their first final in 11 years. In this shining season, he scored 604 runs in 17 matches with a strike rate of 175.07. This is the highest strike rate since Chris Gayle in 2011 and Suryakumar Yadav in 2023, among batters with over 600 runs in a season.
Also read: Official: India Announces Squad for Asia Cup 2025 – Gill Named as Vice Captain!
India’s Squad For the Asia Cup 2025
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.
- Reserves – Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal
When is the Asia Cup 2025, and what does it look like for Team India?
The Asia Cup will take place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28. The T20I tournament will feature eight teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong.
Team India is placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, UAE, and Oman. India are set to face the UAE in their group stage opening match on 10 September and will face arch-rivals Pakistan on 14 September.
Written by: Thillai Ritvik
