Rajat Patidar has pulled out of India’s squad for the upcoming ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup after informing the BCCI that he does not wish to be considered for selection in the 50-over format while managing his existing injury concerns.Following his withdrawal, the Men’s Selection Committee has brought in Ayush Badoni as his replacement and handed Rinku Singh the responsibility of vice-captaincy. Tilak Varma will continue to lead India A in the tournament, which gets underway in Doha on November 19.The squad features several prominent T20 specialists, including Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rinku and wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh. Tilak will be in charge of the A side.India A’s spin attack at the Rising Stars Asia Cup will comprise a mix of T20 and first-class specialists such as Delhi Capitals legspinner Vipraj Nigam, Vidarbha left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who picked up 9 for 53 in the Ranji Trophy on Monday, and Mumbai offspinner and their leading wicket-taker in 2026-27 Tanush Kotian.
India A’s updated squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup:
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Tilak Varma (C), Rinku Singh (VC), Kumar Kushagra (WK), Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshad Khan and Ayush Badoni.India A have been drawn in Group B alongside the United Arab Emirates, Nepal and Pakistan A. Group A features Bangladesh A, Sri Lanka A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong, China.The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for November 26 and 27. The tournament’s final will be played on November 29.One of the biggest fixtures on India’s group-stage schedule will be their meeting with Pakistan A on November 22.
