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Why BCCI Has Moved Beyond KL Rahul Before Confirming India's Asia Cup 2025 Squad

Rajgeeta Yadav

KL Rahul has not been included in the India's Asia Cup 2025 squad [Source: AFP]KL Rahul has not been included in the India's Asia Cup 2025 squad [Source: AFP]

On August 19, the BCCI announced India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025. This team is not just for the Asia Cup; in fact, it is likely to form the core of India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup as well.

The selection surprised many fans. Some consistent IPL performers were left out, while a few players with relatively modest numbers got picked. At the same time, a couple of senior players made a comeback, making the team look stronger on paper. The squad was revealed after a meeting between BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and captain Suryakumar Yadav.

However, one name that was notably missing was KL Rahul. Despite his excellent form in the IPL 2025, where he scored 539 runs in 13 innings for Delhi Capitals, including one century and three fifties, Rahul did not make the cut. So, why did BCCI move past him?

1. Lack of recent T20I game time

To begin with, the 33-year-old opener hasn’t played much T20 cricket for India in recent years. His last major appearance was in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Unfortunately, his batting there was underwhelming. He managed only 128 runs in 6 matches with a strike rate of 120.75. His cautious approach at the top slowed India down, and since then, the selectors have kept him out of the T20 setup.

2. Struggles with strike rate

Moreover, Rahul’s strike rate has been a concern for long. During India vs New Zealand series in 2021, he scored 80 runs in 2 innings, but his strike rate was only 126.98. 

Later, in 2022 Asia Cup, he again failed to accelerate, scoring 132 runs in 6 innings at a strike rate of just 122.22. In modern T20 cricket, where aggressive batting is key, his numbers simply didn’t match India’s new approach.

3. Strong Competition in top order

On top of that, India currently has a wealth of batting talent at the top. Youngsters like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Abhishek Sharma have been performing brilliantly in both the IPL and domestic cricket. 

Alongside them, Sanju Samson has cemented his spot as a reliable wicketkeeper-batter. With so many in-form options available, the selectors have clearly chosen to back the next generation instead of revisiting Rahul.