Tilak Varma to captain India A at 2026 Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha
Synopsis
India A's 2026 Rising Stars Asia Cup squad is a near-total reset — only three players survive from last year's Doha campaign. With T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma captaining and two-time IPL-winning skipper Rajat Patidar as his deputy, and a high-stakes India vs Pakistan A clash on November 22, this is a tournament that doubles as a next-generation audition.
Key Takeaways
Tilak Varma will captain and Rajat Patidar will serve as vice-captain of India A at the ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 .
The tournament runs from 19 to 29 November 2026 in Doha, Qatar .
Only 3 players — Sooryavanshi, Shedge, and Dubey — are retained from the 2025 India A squad.
Harshit Rana is included despite recovering from a rectus femoris strain suffered on 7 September .
India A are in Group B with UAE, Nepal, and Pakistan A; they face Pakistan A on 22 November .
Selected players will miss a large part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for their respective states.
Tilak Varma, India's T20I vice-captain, will lead India A at the ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 in Doha, Qatar, with two-time IPL-winning skipper Rajat Patidar named as his deputy. The 15-member squad, selected by the men's selection committee, will compete in the tournament running from 19 to 29 November 2026 at venues across Doha.
Full Squad Breakdown
The squad features two wicketkeepers — Prabhsimran Singh and Kumar Kushagra — alongside notable names including Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rinku Singh, Prince Yadav, Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Harsh Dubey. Spinners Tanush Kotian, Vipraj Nigam, and Arshad Khan complete the 15-member unit.
Seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana has also been included despite recovering from a rectus femoris strain sustained during a match simulation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) on 7 September, after initially reporting there for hamstring injury rehabilitation.
A Sweeping Change from 2025
The squad marks a near-complete overhaul from the 2025 India A side that competed in the previous edition of the same tournament, also held in Doha. Tilak and Patidar take over leadership from Jitesh Sharma and Naman Dhir, who served as captain and vice-captain respectively in 2025. Only Sooryavanshi, Shedge, and Dubey have been retained from last year's squad.
Among the notable omissions are Jitesh Sharma, Naman Dhir, Priyansh Arya, Abishek Porel, Ashutosh Sharma, Nehal Wadhera, Ramandeep Singh, Suyash Sharma, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Yash Thakur, and Vijaykumar Vyshak. The selection also means these players will miss a significant portion of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for their respective state sides.
India A's Group Stage Schedule
India A have been placed in Group B alongside the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, and Pakistan A. Group A features Bangladesh A, Sri Lanka A, Afghanistan A, and Hong Kong, China. India A open their campaign against Nepal on 20 November at the West End Park International Stadium.
They face Pakistan A at the same venue on 22 November, before concluding the group stage against the UAE at the University of Doha for Science and Technology on 24 November. The top two sides from each group advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for 26 and 27 November, with the final set for 29 November.
India A Full Squad
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Tilak Varma (captain), Rajat Patidar (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshad Khan.
Point of View
But Patidar's inclusion as deputy despite mixed recent form suggests the committee values IPL captaincy credentials. The more quietly significant detail is Harshit Rana's selection mid-recovery: it reflects either confidence in his fitness trajectory or a scarcity of like-for-like seam-bowling all-rounders in the current pool. With the India-Pakistan A fixture on 22 November drawing the most eyeballs, this squad will be judged less on the trophy and more on individual performances that could accelerate national call-ups.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will captain India A at the 2026 Rising Stars Asia Cup?
Tilak Varma, India's T20I vice-captain, will captain India A at the ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 in Doha. Rajat Patidar, a two-time IPL-winning skipper, has been named vice-captain of the 15-member squad.
When and where is the 2026 ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup?
The tournament is scheduled from 19 to 29 November 2026 in Doha, Qatar. Venues include the West End Park International Stadium and the University of Doha for Science and Technology.
Which group is India A in and who do they play?
India A are in Group B alongside UAE, Nepal, and Pakistan A. They open against Nepal on 20 November, face Pakistan A on 22 November, and end the group stage against UAE on 24 November.
Is Harshit Rana fit to play at the Rising Stars Asia Cup?
Harshit Rana has been named in the squad but is reportedly recovering from a rectus femoris strain sustained during a match simulation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on 7 September 2026. He was initially at the facility for hamstring injury rehabilitation.
How different is the 2026 India A squad from the 2025 edition?
The 2026 squad represents a sweeping overhaul — only Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Suryansh Shedge, and Harsh Dubey are retained from the 2025 side. Notable omissions include former captain Jitesh Sharma, Naman Dhir, Priyansh Arya, and Ramandeep Singh, among others.
