The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, September 28, announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh, which commences in Gwalior on October 6. Pace sensation Mayank Yadav, who was impressed during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), has earned his maiden call-up for his speed and accuracy.
The 21-year-old’s outstanding performances came early in the IPL 2024—where he emerged as Player of the Match twice in four outings. Despite gaining significant attention, he was sidelined for the rest of the tournament after suffering abdominal pain in his third match. During his recuperation process, he faced another setback with a separate injury while training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
The team management recalled mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who last played a T20I in 2021. He will be returning to the national side after a standout performance in IPL 2024. He finished as the highest wicket-taker for champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), claiming 21 wickets in 14 matches. Additionally, Sanju Samson is expected to be the first-choice wicket keeper for the T20I team. Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma will compete with Samson for the wicketkeeper’s slot.
Apart from Mayank, players including seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana could also make their international debuts during the series. A few key players from India’s Test squad—Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, and Mohammed Siraj— have been rested in order to manage their workloads.
India will be captained by regular T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, but no vice-captain has been appointed. Key players in the lineup include Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh, and Ravi Bishnoi. With Bumrah and Siraj rested, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will spearhead the fast-bowling unit against Bangla Tigers.
India’s seam options consist of Arshdeep, Rana, and Mayank, supported by all-rounder Hardik, Dube, and Reddy. Meanwhile, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun, and Washington Sundar will be the hosts’ primary spin options, with Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag providing part-time support. In addition, Abhishek is the lone regular opening batter in the squad, it is anticipated that Samson will accompany him to open the innings.
India T20I squad for Bangladesh series
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav
