Huge blow for India: two players injured ahead of England series, BCCI names replacement

India Under-19 cricket team has suffered a major setback ahead of their upcoming England tour as two key players, Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel, sustained injuries during the high-performance camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has swiftly named replacements to fill these crucial gaps, with D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak stepping in from the standby list.

Injury Update and Replacement Announcement

Aditya Rana has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back, while Khilan Patel is dealing with a stress reaction in his right leg. Both injuries have ruled them out of the 50-over and multi-day matches scheduled between June 24 and July 23. Recognizing the urgency, the Junior Cricket Committee has brought in D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak as their replacements to ensure the team remains competitive during the England tour.

Captaincy and Key Players to Watch

Ayush Mhatre, who earned the captaincy following his impressive IPL 2025 season with Chennai Super Kings, will lead the squad. Mhatre has been a standout performer, amassing 206 runs in six innings at an average of 34.33 and becoming CSK’s third-highest run-scorer this IPL season.

India will also bank on the prolific Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Rajasthan Royals, who made headlines by scoring the fastest century in IPL history against the Gujarat Titans. Purchased for Rs 1.1 crore in the IPL mega auction, Sooryavanshi racked up 252 runs at an average of 36 during his maiden IPL season.

India U19 England Tour Schedule

India U19’s tour comprises a 50-over warm-up match followed by five Youth ODIs and two multi-day red-ball games. Here’s a look at the full itinerary:

• June 24: 50-over warm-up match at Loughborough University
• June 27: 1st Youth ODI at Hove
• June 30 & July 2: 2nd and 3rd Youth ODIs at Northampton
• July 5 & 7: 4th and 5th Youth ODIs at Worcester
• July 12: First multi-day red-ball game at Beckenham
• July 20: Final multi-day game at Chelmsford

Updated India U19 Squad List

• Ayush Mhatre (Captain)
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
• Vihaan Malhotra
• Maulyarajsinh Chavda
• Rahul Kumar
• Abhigyan Kundu (Vice-Captain & WK)
• Harvansh Singh (WK)
• R. S. Ambrish
• Kanishk Chouhan
• Henil Patel
• Yudhajit Guha
• Pranav Raghavendra
• Mohammed Enaan
• Anmoljeet Singh
• D. Deepesh (Replacement)
• Naman Pushpak (Replacement)

This injury update and squad change comes at a challenging time but also highlights India’s strong pool of young talent ready to perform on the international stage. Fans and cricket enthusiasts can look forward to an exciting and competitive India U19 tour against England.