Nitish Kumar Reddy will miss the 2026 Asian Games as he has been selected for India’s three-match ODI series against the West Indies. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s squad for the home series on Wednesday, with Nitish included in the 15-member team. The BCCI said Nitish has been withdrawn from the Asian Games squad so he can play in the ODI series against the West Indies. The board also confirmed that Varun Chakaravarthy will miss the Asian Games after suffering an injury.&nbsp;Varun picked up a side strain while bowling in the first T20I of India’s ongoing three-match series against Afghanistan and was ruled out of the final two games on Tuesday.&nbsp;Delhi Capitals all-rounder Vipraj Nigam has been named as Varun’s replacement and will travel to Japan with the Indian team.&nbsp;“Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the upcoming Japan T20I and the Asian Games owing to a side strain. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Vipraj Nigam as his replacement. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was originally included in the Asian Games squad, has been withdrawn and will feature in the ODI series against the West Indies,” the BCCI stated in a release.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/portugal-turkey-back-on-f1-calendar-as-fia-reveals-24-race-2027-season-1789644092231">Portugal, Turkey back on F1 calendar as FIA reveals 24-race 2027 season</a><h3>India’s updated squad for the Japan T20I &amp; the Asian Games</h3>Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam<h3>Reddy’s ODI record</h3>Nitish made his ODI debut for India against Australia in Perth on 19 Oct, 2025 and has since played six ODIs, scoring 100 runs and taking two wickets.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pak-batter-rizwan-moves-to-court-after-being-questioned-by-cyber-crime-agency-1789618597573">Court rejects Rizwan's petition against being questioned by cyber crime agency</a>&nbsp;He featured in two ODIs against Afghanistan in Jun 2026 under Shubman Gill’s captaincy but did not get an opportunity to bat in either match. With the ball, he took two wickets in the first game of the series at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.&nbsp;Nitish was added to India’s ODI squad a day after his impressive performance against Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where he took three wickets and was named Player of the Match.

Nitish Kumar Reddy has withdrawn from the Asian Games 2026 squad to play ODIs against the West Indies, while injured Varun Chakravarthy has been replaced by Vipraj Nigam.

Nitish Kumar Reddy will miss the 2026 Asian Games as he has been selected for India’s three-match ODI series against the West Indies. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s squad for the home series on Wednesday, with Nitish included in the 15-member team. The BCCI said Nitish has been withdrawn from the Asian Games squad so he can play in the ODI series against the West Indies. The board also confirmed that Varun Chakaravarthy will miss the Asian Games after suffering an injury. Varun picked up a side strain while bowling in the first T20I of India’s ongoing three-match series against Afghanistan and was ruled out of the final two games on Tuesday. Delhi Capitals all-rounder Vipraj Nigam has been named as Varun’s replacement and will travel to Japan with the Indian team. “Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the upcoming Japan T20I and the Asian Games owing to a side strain. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Vipraj Nigam as his replacement. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was originally included in the Asian Games squad, has been withdrawn and will feature in the ODI series against the West Indies,” the BCCI stated in a release. Also Read - Portugal, Turkey back on F1 calendar as FIA reveals 24-race 2027 season India’s updated squad for the Japan T20I & the Asian Games Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam Reddy’s ODI record Nitish made his ODI debut for India against Australia in Perth on 19 Oct, 2025 and has since played six ODIs, scoring 100 runs and taking two wickets. Also Read - Court rejects Rizwan's petition against being questioned by cyber crime agency He featured in two ODIs against Afghanistan in Jun 2026 under Shubman Gill’s captaincy but did not get an opportunity to bat in either match. With the ball, he took two wickets in the first game of the series at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Nitish was added to India’s ODI squad a day after his impressive performance against Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where he took three wickets and was named Player of the Match.

Nitish Kumar Reddy has withdrawn from the Asian Games 2026 squad to play ODIs against the West Indies, while injured Varun Chakravarthy has been replaced by Vipraj Nigam.

Asian Games 2026: Nitish Reddy withdraws, Vipraj Nigam replaces Chakaravarthy

Delhi Capitals (DC) are all set to take defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday (April 18) as the two meet in “The Rivalry” week of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). Having lost back-to-back games in IPL 2026, DC will look for a swift reply as they take on in-form RCB at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Speaking ahead of the contest was DC star Vipraj Nigam, who opened up on the team preparations ahead of the crucial contest.<h2>Vipraj opens up on DC preparations</h2>Having won their opening two matches of the IPL 2026 season against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI), DC lost to Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller. DC were then on the receiving end of another defeat as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat them in Chennai. Now facing an uphill task against RCB on Saturday, Nigam highlighted that the morale in the team is high as they vow to bounce back against the spirited defending champions.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-sanju-samson-5-highest-individual-score-in-a-lost-chase-in-ipl-yusuf-pathan-kl-rahul-shaun-marsh-ipl-2026-1774084136030">From Rohit Sharma to Sanju Samson, 5 highest individual scores in a lost chase in IPL</a>&nbsp;“Morale is still high, yes, we have lost two matches, but whatever mistakes we have made, we have worked on them. The one week we had, we worked on addressing the key issues and what led to our defeats against GT and CSK. Hopefully, we will make a comeback in the tournament and who knows, we might make our comeback during the RCB match on Saturday,” Vipraj said while answering WION’s Aditya Pimpale on ‘JioStar Press Room’ during IPL 2026 Rivalry Week.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-cameron-green-to-liam-livingstone-5-most-expensive-players-in-ipl-2026-auctions-matheesha-pathirana-kartik-sharma-prashant-veer-1774031148132">From Cameron Green to Liam Livingstone, 5 most expensive players in IPL 2026 auctions</a>&nbsp;“Talking of the morale, it is fantastic and everyone is positive, including senior members of the team like the coaching staff, captain, players and others. Coaches have given us the freedom and the space, so we are up for the RCB task,” Vipraj added.&nbsp;Delhi are currently on a three-match away run, which will conclude next week when they face SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad. DC’s next home game is against PBKS on Saturday (April 25) before they face RCB on the following Monday.

Having lost back-to-back games in IPL 2026, DC will look for a swift reply as they take on in-form RCB at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Speaking ahead of the contest was DC star Vipraj Nigam, who opened up on the team preparations ahead of the crucial contest.

Delhi Capitals (DC) are all set to take defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday (April 18) as the two meet in “The Rivalry” week of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). Having lost back-to-back games in IPL 2026, DC will look for a swift reply as they take on in-form RCB at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Speaking ahead of the contest was DC star Vipraj Nigam, who opened up on the team preparations ahead of the crucial contest. Vipraj opens up on DC preparations Having won their opening two matches of the IPL 2026 season against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI), DC lost to Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller. DC were then on the receiving end of another defeat as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat them in Chennai. Now facing an uphill task against RCB on Saturday, Nigam highlighted that the morale in the team is high as they vow to bounce back against the spirited defending champions. ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Sanju Samson, 5 highest individual scores in a lost chase in IPL “Morale is still high, yes, we have lost two matches, but whatever mistakes we have made, we have worked on them. The one week we had, we worked on addressing the key issues and what led to our defeats against GT and CSK. Hopefully, we will make a comeback in the tournament and who knows, we might make our comeback during the RCB match on Saturday,” Vipraj said while answering WION’s Aditya Pimpale on ‘JioStar Press Room’ during IPL 2026 Rivalry Week. ALSO READ | From Cameron Green to Liam Livingstone, 5 most expensive players in IPL 2026 auctions “Talking of the morale, it is fantastic and everyone is positive, including senior members of the team like the coaching staff, captain, players and others. Coaches have given us the freedom and the space, so we are up for the RCB task,” Vipraj added. Delhi are currently on a three-match away run, which will conclude next week when they face SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad. DC’s next home game is against PBKS on Saturday (April 25) before they face RCB on the following Monday.

Having lost back-to-back games in IPL 2026, DC will look for a swift reply as they take on in-form RCB at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Speaking ahead of the contest was DC star Vipraj Nigam, who opened up on the team preparations ahead of the crucial contest.

IPL 2026: Vipraj Nigam backs Delhi to bounce back to form, says 'might make our comeback during RCB match'

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Asian Games 2026: Nitish Reddy withdraws, Vipraj Nigam replaces Chakaravarthy

IPL 2026: Vipraj Nigam backs Delhi to bounce back to form ahead of RCB contest