Asia Cup 2025 India Squad ANNOUNCED: Shubman Gill VC, Jasprit Bumrah Included; Check Full List of Players

The BCCI announced the 15-member India squad for the Asia Cup 2025, with Suryakumar Yadav as captain and Shubman Gill as vice-captain. Jasprit Bumrah's inclusion despite workload concerns is a major highlight.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior men’s team chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, officially unveiled the 15-member India squad for the Asia Cup 2025 at a press conference at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 19. The press conference was also attended by India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, alongside Ajit Agarkar.

After weeks of speculation and debates over team composition and overall balance of the squad, the chairman of the selection committee finally announced the roster for the eight-team continental tournament in the UAE, with the Men in Blue beginning their campaign against the hosts on September 10. The squad was announced after the selection committee meeting, with Suryakumar also present.

Shubman Gill appointed vice-captain

One of the biggest news from the squad announcement is the appointment of Shubman Gill as vice-captain, who will serve as deputy to Suryakumar in the Asia Cup 2025. Despite being away from T20I for a year, his recent success in the IPL 2025, as well as Test captain in the England Series, enabled him to find a spot in the squad.

Gill’s inclusion in the Asia Cup was uncertain as selectors initially weighed his T20I form, especially the opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who partnered at the top in the three T20I series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England, but his proven consistency, adaptability, and leadership experience eventually tilted the decision in his favor.

Shubman Gill has been groomed for leadership roles as he is touted as India’s next all-format captain, having already taken up captaincy duties in Tests and served as vice-captain in the Champions Trophy 2025. The Punjab cricketer has been the captain of the Gujarat Titans since IPL 2024 and led the team to the playoffs in the recently concluded season of the tournament, where GT lost in the Eliminator to the Mumbai Indians.

Gill’s last appearance in the T20I series against Sri Lanka in July last year, and thereafter, he shifted his focus towards red-ball cricket, especially for the series against New Zealand, Australia, and England.

Jasprit Bumrah to lead the pace attack

Jasprit Bumrah has been included in the 15-member squad despite his workload concerns. As per the earlier reports, Bumrah informed the selectors about his willingness to play the Asia Cup 2025 despite the BCCI wanting to give him an extended break from competitive cricket before the home Test series against West Indies, starting on October 2, just 5 days after the final.

In the recently concluded Test series against England, Jasprit Bumrah played only three matches out of five in order to manage his workload and was released from the India squad amid the fifth and final Test at the Oval. With his inclusion, the 31-year-old is expected to lead the attack in the Asia Cup 2025.

Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were added to the squad as among the pace specialists for the Asia Cup 2025. Arshdeep was certain, as he is the leading wicket-taker for India in T20Is, while Harshit edged out Prasidh Krishna for a third seamer spot in the squad.

Shreyas Iyer edged out by Rinku Singh

Shreyas Iyer was in a competition with Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, and Washington Sundar for the 15th spot in the squad, but the Punjab Kings captain lost out to Rinku, despite his dry run of form in the IPL 2025, amassing 206 runs at an average of 29.43 and a strike rate of 153.43 in 13 matches.

Shreyas, who had a brilliant outing in the IPL 2025, wherein he amassed 604 runs while leading Punjab Kings to their first final in 11 years, was overlooked by the selectors as they backed Rinku as an extra middle-order batter. Shreyas Iyer was the highest run-getter for India in the Champions Trophy 2025, with 243 runs, but still did not find a place in the squad.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube have been picked as the all-rounders in the India squad for the Asia Cup.

Kuldeep Yadav finds a spot in the squad

Another big news is that Kuldeep Yadav found a spot in the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup. There was an uncertainty whether Kuldeep would be picked in the squad, as the selectors were willing to have an extra all-rounder by including Washington Sundar. However, the 30-year-old was picked ahead of Sundar, who was added to the reserves.

Varun Chakravarthy, too, has been included in the India squad. Chakravathy was hard to ignore for the selectors as he made a brilliant comeback to international cricket and picked 33 wickets in 18 T20Is since his return last year. Therefore, India have two specialist spinners and one spin bowling all-rounder in Axar Patel in the squad.

Moreover, selectors have picked Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, and Prasidh Krishna in the reserves. They will be added to the main squad if there are injury concerns or fitness issues among the main players during the tournament.

India Squad: 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