Krunal Pandya has been left out of India’s T20I squad again, but he is not ready to close the door on international cricket just yet.
Minutes after the selectors named the squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan in New Delhi, the 35-year-old all-rounder took to social media and posted a simple, pointed line: “Hope is still alive”. No rant, no explanation. Just a reminder that he still sees a way back.
For a player who last pulled on an India T20I shirt in 2021 against Sri Lanka, it was a telling choice of words.
Strong IPL, familiar heartbreak
This omission will sting because Krunal did plenty in IPL 2026 to push his case. Operating for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he collected 14 wickets and underlined, once again, the value of a left-arm spinner who can bowl in different phases and chip in with the bat.
It was that campaign, and India’s recent tours of Ireland and England, that nudged his name back into selection conversations. As reported earlier by TimesofIndia.com, he had emerged as a genuine option as the selectors looked for balance in the lower middle order and variety in the spin attack.
India have been searching hard in that role. Axar Patel played all seven T20Is across Ireland and England, but finished with just four wickets — two in the two games in Ireland and two more across four outings in England. The numbers were modest, the impact patchy, and yet the selectors have chosen to move on from him for this Afghanistan series as well.
Krunal, despite his IPL surge and experience, finds himself on the outside again. His brief post suggests he believes that window has not yet slammed shut.
Afghanistan series: Bumrah back, fitness clouds linger
The headline name in the squad is Jasprit Bumrah. India’s pace spearhead returns for the three T20Is, all to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 13, 15 and 17, but his comeback still has a medical asterisk attached. His inclusion is subject to fitness clearance after an impact injury to his knee during the ODI series in England ruled him out of the subsequent two-Test tour of Sri Lanka.
He is not alone in that bracket. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have all been picked with the same caveat. Each is working through Return to Play protocols after recent injuries.
Rana suffered a Grade 1 hamstring injury in the third T20I against England. Washington’s hamstring gave way in the third ODI of that tour. Reddy has also been on the treatment table, missing India’s most recent assignments as he recovered.
The selectors have, in effect, named a squad that could still shift depending on how the physios and trainers report back in the coming days.
Hardik’s comeback stalls again
There is another Pandya missing from this series. As reported earlier by TimesofIndia.com, Hardik Pandya has also been left out after a late leg niggle derailed his planned return at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Hardik has not played competitive cricket since turning out for Mumbai Indians on May 24. His last game for India was the T20 World Cup final on March 8. For a side that has grown used to his presence as a seam-bowling all-rounder and late-overs hitter, that is a long absence.
India will go into this Afghanistan series with Shreyas Iyer leading the side and Tilak Varma as his deputy. The squad also includes Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan as wicketkeeping options, Shivam Dube for middle-order power, and a spin group of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi, alongside the pace of Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
Krunal’s name is not there. For now, his India journey pauses at that social-media line — “Hope is still alive” — and the question that hangs over so many seasoned IPL performers: how long can hope alone keep the door ajar?
