India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has begun batting again after undergoing sports hernia surgery, with a return targeted for the Asia Cup in September.
Suryakumar had his first batting session at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru late last week, under the close supervision of the medical team. The surgery, performed in Germany in July, addressed an issue in his lower right abdomen. His workload will gradually increase over the next few weeks to prepare him for competitive cricket.
India is optimistic about its availability for the Asia Cup, scheduled to begin on September 9 in the UAE. Suryakumar’s rehab timeline was initially aligned with the T20I leg of the Bangladesh tour in late August, but that series has been pushed to 2026.
His last competitive appearance came in June during the Mumbai T20 League, where he scored 122 runs in four innings for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East shortly after IPL 2025. While there was consideration of including him in West Zone’s Duleep Trophy squad, he is expected to miss the tournament to focus entirely on rehabilitation.
India’s Asia Cup squad is likely to travel to the UAE in the first week of September. As part of his preparation, Suryakumar is expected to take part in practice games and match simulations at the CoE in the final phase of his recovery.
The Asia Cup will be his first multi-nation tournament as T20I captain since succeeding Rohit Sharma after India’s T20 World Cup victory in 2024. With the 2026 T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, his return is seen as an essential step in building towards the tournament.
The Asia Cup 2025 will be held from September 9 to September 28, with all matches played in the UAE. Dubai will host eight games, including the final, while Abu Dhabi will stage the remaining 11 fixtures.
A total of 19 matches will be played across the tournament, which features eight teams this year. Group A consists of India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, while Group B includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. Each team will face the others in their group once, with the top two advancing to the Super 4.
