Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of India’s T20I series against Ireland, with the BCCI naming no replacement so far.
The injury
The World No. 2 T20I bowler had been picked in the 15-man squad but did not fully recover from a toe injury and has been released. In an update from the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, the board said he is in the final stages of rehabilitation after a left foot injury sustained in IPL 2026.
The injury reportedly happened while he was playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, when he was hit on the foot against Sunrisers Hyderabad, resulting in a hairline fracture. He kept playing in the tournament, a decision reported to have raised concerns at the BCCI over workload and injury management.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane later said the franchise physios and BCCI physios had discussed the matter, that he did not get involved, and that his focus is on a player’s mindset and availability.
Role and squad
The Chennai-born mystery spinner debuted at the 2021 T20 World Cup and has become a key part of India’s white-ball side. He has been part of ICC successes including the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
India’s squad for the Ireland series is Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prasidh Krishna.
