India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad announcement is creating a buzz, with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion uncertain. While both had strong IPL performances, Gill’s absence from T20Is and Iyer’s two-year gap raise questions.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) men’s senior team chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, will announce the India squad for the Asia Cup 2025 on Tuesday, August 19, at a press conference in Mumbai. The Men in Blue will kick off their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE in the group stage at Dubai International Stadium on September 10.
India are expected to be led by Suryakumar Yadav and will enter the eight-team competition as the defending champions of the tournament, having won the 50-over title in 2023. Since the Asia Cup will be held in a T20 format, India will be without the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, as the batting stalwarts retired from the T20Is following the T20 World Cup triumph last year, marking a new era for India’s limited-overs setup.
As the BCCI selection committee is set to announce the squad for the Asia Cup 2025, the selectors are facing a dilemma in picking a balanced squad, with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer vying for spots amid stiff competition from in-form youngsters.
Will Gill make the cut or be excluded?
One of the major topics of discussion ahead of the India squad announcement for the Asia Cup 2025 is Shubman Gill’s chances of making it to the roster. Gill had a great IPL 2025, amassing 650 runs while leading the Gujarat Titans in 15 matches, followed by a record-breaking Test series against England, aggregating 754 runs at an average of 75.4 in 10 innings.
Despite India Test captain having a great IPL run and a dominant Test series against England, his place in the Asia Cup squad remains uncertain, as he was away from T20Is for a year to focus on red-ball cricket, especially the Test series against New Zealand, Australia, and England. When Shubman Gill was away from the shortest format of the game, selectors and team management backed Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the opening pair for the three T20I series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England.
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Since Abhishek and Samson capitalized on the opportunities with consistent performances and aggressive starts, Shubman Gill is unlikely to return to the T20I fold for the Asia Cup, the selectors and team management are expected to stick with Abhishek-Samson as the opening combination.
Additionally, Shubman Gill is unlikely to be picked as a backup opener as Yashasvi Jaiswal is reportedly set to take that slot in the Asia Cup squad.
Shreyas Iyer’s T20I comeback on cards?
Another name that has been up for discussion among fans, experts, and maybe the selectors is Shreyas Iyer. There has been a debate over Iyer’s inclusion in the Asia Cup squad after he had a brilliant campaign in the last IPL season, where he amassed 604 runs at an average of 50.33 in 17 matches, while leading Punjab Kings to their maiden final of the tournament for the first time in 11 years.
Shreyas Iyer has not played a T20I for India for two years, with his last appearance coming against Australia in December 2023. However, the 30-year-old had a great ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy 2025, where he was India’s highest run-getter. If Iyer were to be considered for the selection, it would likely be a toss-up between him and Tilak Varma.
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Since Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube are potentially locked in as the middle-order batters, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma will vie for the couple of middle-order spots. Varma would be hard to ignore for the selectors as he had registered two consecutive T20I centuries against South Africa and scored a half-century against England in January this year.
Given Varma’s current form and impact in T20Is, the selectors may lean towards the younger option, leaving Shreyas Iyer’s Asia Cup comeback hanging in the balance despite his strong IPL and ODI performances. Additionally, Jitesh Sharma is likely to be picked as the second wicketkeeper-batter option alongside Sanju Samson, further tightening the competition for the middle-order slot.
Jasprit Bumrah’s availability and bowling options
Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be picked in the India squad for the Asia Cup 2025, as he reportedly conveyed his willingness to play the tournament despite workload management. Earlier, it was reported that the selectors were willing to give an extended break to the pace spearhead after he was released from the squad amid the Oval decider against England.
However, Bumrah is all but certain to lead India’s pace attack in the Asia Cup 2025, with selectors looking to build the bowling unit around him. Arshdeep Singh, India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, is expected to cut, but the toss-up for the third bowling option will be between Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana, with the former emerging as the highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2025.
In spin bowling options, Varun Chakravarthy is expected to lead the attack after making a brilliant comeback to international cricket last year. However, Kuldeep Yadav is unlikely to be picked as the selectors might look to strengthen India’s batting depth by adding Washington Sundar to the squad.