World No. 2 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy has been dropped from India’s squad for the upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland. He was initially included in the 15-man squad but has not recovered from a toe injury and is now out of the series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed this update on his rehabilitation at the COE in Bengaluru, but they have not announced a replacement.
“Varun Chakravarthy is in the final stages of his rehab at the BCCI COE following his left foot injury sustained in the TATA IPL 2026. He is ruled out of the T20I series against Ireland,” the statement said.
The 34-year-old has become a key player for India’s white-ball cricket since debuting in the 2021 T20 World Cup, contributing to two ICC trophies: the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026.
Chakravarthy reportedly injured his left toe while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2026. He sustained a hairline fracture after being struck by a ball. Despite the injury, he continued to play for KKR, which reportedly frustrated the BCCI, given his importance to the national team.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane commented on the situation, explaining that KKR’s medical staff had been coordinating with BCCI’s medical team.
“Our team’s physios and the BCCI physios were in discussion. I don’t get involved in that. My focus is on the player’s mindset, whether they want to play, and how risky it is,” Rahane stated.
India’s updated squad for Ireland T20Is:
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna