Varun Chakravarthy ruled out of Asian Games; Vipraj Nigam named as replacement

In New Delhi on September 16, 2026, Varun Chakravarthy was ruled out of India’s Asian Games squad with a side strain and will be replaced by Vipraj Nigam.

The injury ends Chakravarthy’s participation in the continental event that begins on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Chakravarthy was forced out of the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan after suffering the problem in the opening game; the 35-year-old had returned to the national side after recovering from a hamstring injury prior to the Afghanistan series.

He reported discomfort following the first T20I and was sent back to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further assessment; Chakravarthy is expected to remain sidelined for some time.

"Varun is out for an indefinite period of time. Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav were the two available options from the long list. Kuldeep will play the West Indies ODIs later this month," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The 22-year-old Nigam represents Delhi Capitals in the IPL and has played 19 matches in the league, taking 13 wickets. The 21-year-old has also shown his big-hitting ability, scoring at a strike rate of around 176 in his IPL career.

The men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games begins on September 24, and India will enter the event at the quarterfinal stage.