Varun Chakravarthy Ruled Out Of Asian Games 2026, Delhi Capitals Spinner Set To Be Announced As Replacement

India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the 2026 Asian Games due to a side strain. Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner Vipraj Nigam is set to be named as his replacement for the multi-sport event in Japan.

The Asian Games are scheduled to begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, while the men’s cricket competition will start on September 24. India will enter the tournament at the quarterfinal stage.

“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 condition of anonymity.

Chakravarthy picked up the injury during the opening T20I against Afghanistan and was subsequently ruled out of the ongoing three-match series. He is now expected to spend some time on the sidelines.

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Who is replacing Chakravarthy?

Vipraj Nigam, who plays for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) IPL, has been called up as Chakravarthy’s replacement.

The 22-year-old has played 19 IPL matches so far and has taken 13 wickets. He has also shown that he can contribute with the bat, striking at around 176 in his IPL career.

India had Kuldeep Yadav as another option, but the left-arm spinner is expected to be involved in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies later this month.

Why is Chakravarthy’s absence a setback for India?

Chakravarthy’s withdrawal comes at an unfortunate time for the spinner, who had recently returned to India’s setup after recovering from a hamstring injury.

The 35-year-old featured in the first T20I against Afghanistan but felt discomfort while bowling his third over. He was later sent to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further assessment.