Off-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign due to a side strain suffered in 1st T20I vs Afghanistan on Sunday.
Published: September 16, 2026, 2:44 PM IST
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Team India off-spinner Varun Chakravarthy(Photo: IANS)
Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer’s Team India have already suffered a big blow before their can begin the defence of their gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan later this monthThe T20 World Cup 2026 champions have lost the services of their highest-ranked bowler – Varun Chakravarthy – for the Asian Games cricket tournament.
Chakravarthy, who had made a comeback from hamstring injury that he had suffered in the T20I series in England, was ruled out of the three-match series against Afghanistan earlier this week after suffering a side strain in the first gameAccording to a report by PTI news agency, Chakravarthy has been replaced by Delhi Capitals leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam in the squad for the Asian Games.
BIG BLOW FOR INDIA ❌
– Varun Chakaravarthy ruled out of the Asian Games 2026[Sports Today] pic.twitter.com/4qU9D82CLg
— Johns(@CricCrazyJohns) September 16, 2026
The Asian Games 2026 will begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, JapanShreyas Iyer’s side have been given a ‘bye’ through to the quarterfinal and will begin their campaign on September 28.
“Varun is out for an indefinite period of timeVipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav were the two available options from the long listKuldeep will play the West Indies ODIs later this month,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.
Chakravarthy, who was forced out of the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan after suffering the injury in the opening game, is expected to remain sidelined for some timeThe Kolkata Knight Riders off-spinner rose a couple of places in the latest ICC T20I rankings to the 5th spot.
The 22-year-old Nigam, who was retained by Delhi Capitals for Rs 50 lakh ahead of IPL 2026, has so far played 19 matches in the league, taking 13 wicketsThe all-rounder has also shown his big-hitting ability, scoring at a strike rate of around 176 in his IPL career so far.
Overall, he has claimed 34 wickets in 33 matches in his T20 career at an average of 24.88 and also has a strike-rate of 157.41 with the bat.
The men’s cricket competition of the Asian Games will begin on September 24 while women’s team under Harmanpreet Kaur will begin their campaign on September 18 with a quarterfinal clash against hosts Japan.
Chakravarthy’s withdrawal is a setback to India as the 35-year-old had returned to the national side after recovering from a hamstring injury before the Afghanistan seriesHe reported discomfort following the first T20I and was sent back to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further assessment.
The off-spinner, who was retained for Rs 12 crore by Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2026, has picked up 75 wickets in 49 matches in T20I cricket at an amazing average of 17.34.
