India A Squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026: Tilak Varma to Lead, Harshit Rana Returns; Schedule, IST Timings and Pakistan Shaheens Squad

India A squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026: Tilak Varma will captain a 15-man side in Doha, with Rajat Patidar as vice-captain. The BCCI's men's selectors named the squad on Monday (2 November). It is packed with India's T20 names, including Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Rinku Singh, and it marks the return of fast bowler Harshit Rana after injury. The tournament is a 50-over event and runs from 19 to 29 November in Qatar.

India A open against Nepal on 20 November and meet Pakistan Shaheens, Pakistan's A side, on 22 November.

Squad, groups and fixtures as announced by the BCCI and the PCB and reported by ESPNcricinfo, Sportstar and IANS, as of 3 November 2026.

India A full squad

India A schedule and timings (IST)

Format: eight teams in two groups. India A are in Group B with Pakistan Shaheens, Nepal and the UAE. Group A has Bangladesh A, Sri Lanka A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong, China. The top two in each group reach the semi-finals.

Why this squad is stronger than usual

An A tournament usually means fringe players. This one looks different. Tilak has just helped India win the T20I series in New Zealand 3-2 (see our 5th T20I report), Abhishek hit 86 T20I sixes in 2026 alone (India's record 400 sixes in a calendar year), and Patidar has captained his franchise to two IPL titles.

Only three players are kept from India A's 2025 Rising Stars squad: Sooryavanshi, Shedge and Harsh Dubey, according to IANS. Last year's side, led by Jitesh Sharma, lost the semi-final to Bangladesh A in a Super Over.

The bigger reason is the calendar. The ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia starts in October 2027, and this is a rare 50-over tournament for players who mostly play white-ball cricket in the T20 format.

Harshit Rana's return is the real story

Harshit, 24, has not played since India's tour of England in July. IANS reports that he strained his rectus femoris (a thigh muscle) while bowling in a match simulation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on 7 September, after first going there for hamstring rehab.

ESPNcricinfo notes that head coach Gautam Gambhir has spoken about wanting a fast bowler who can bat at No. 8 at the 2027 World Cup. Harshit fits that description, so these three or more games in Doha are a fitness test with a World Cup angle. He leads an attack with Prince Yadav, left-armer Arshad Khan and the seam of allrounder Suryansh Shedge, with Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey and Tanush Kotian offering spin.

Abhishek and Sooryavanshi as a 50-over opening pair?

Abhishek and Sooryavanshi are both attacking left-handers, and Moneycontrol expects them to open together. Both are best known for T20 hitting, so how they pace an innings over 50 overs will be worth watching. The two wicketkeepers, Prabhsimran Singh and Kumar Kushagra, give the selectors a backup opener and a middle-order option.

Pakistan Shaheens squad

The PCB has named Abdul Samad as captain of Pakistan's 15-player side: Abdul Samad (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Haider Ali, Shahzaib Khan, Farhan Yousuf, Shamyl Hussain, Rohail Nazir (wk), Danish Aziz, Saad Masood, Sufyan Moqim, Mohammad Hasnain, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed and Muhammad Imran Randhawa.

India A vs Pakistan Shaheens on 22 November is the group's headline game, and it is a useful preview of the senior India vs Pakistan World Cup match at the Wanderers on 10 October 2027.

Who misses out at home?

Picking this many senior white-ball players means they will miss a large part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for their states, IANS reports. For younger readers following the age-group route, see our earlier piece on the India U19 Asia Cup 2026 squad.

Sources: BCCI announcement via ESPNcricinfo, Sportstar, IANS and Moneycontrol; PCB press release.