Badoni to lead India A in T20 World Cup 2026 warm-ups, Tilak returns to squad

Ayush Badoni has been named captain of the India A side after the BCCI announced the squad on X on Monday (Feb 2). India A will play two warm-up matches ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting on Saturday (Feb 7). They will first face the USA at the DY Patil Stadium, followed by a match against Namibia on Friday at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Left-handed batter Tilak Varma has returned to action and will feature for India A against the USA in Navi Mumbai on Monday. He is the only player from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad included in the India A team for these warm-up games.

Tilak last played for India on Dec 19, 2025, against South Africa in Ahmedabad, where he scored a half-century. He then missed the five-match T20I series against New Zealand after sustaining an injury while representing Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26.

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The match against the USA will help Tilak get valuable game time, after which he is expected to feature in India’s only official warm-up match against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium on Feb 4.

The squad also includes several IPL players such as Naman Dhir, Vipraj Nigam and Mayank Yadav. Washington Sundar remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from injury and is yet to undergo a fitness test. Riyan Parag, meanwhile, has also returned to the setup after recovering from a shoulder injury.

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India A squad for T20 World Cup 2026 warm-ups

Ayush Badoni (c), Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Sharma, Priyansh Arya, N. Jagadeesan (wk), Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, Manav Suthar, Ashok Sharma, Urvil Patel (wk), Gurjapneet Singh, Vipraj Nigam, Ravi Bishnoi, Khaleel Ahmed and Mayank Yadav