Rajat Patidar, who played a crucial role in leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to two consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) titles in 2025 and 2026, has been overlooked for India's T20I squad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee announced the squad for upcoming series in Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games, but Patidar's name was missing. Despite his impressive performance in IPL 2026, where he scored 501 runs at a strike rate of 192.69, the committee chose to include other players like Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube in the middle order. Ajit Agarkar, head of the selection committee, explained that while many deserving players exist, only 15 can be selected, leading to difficult decisions. He emphasized that the chosen squad is strong and reflects the current best options available. The T20I squad will be captained by Shreyas Iyer and includes players such as Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.