Varun Chakaravarthy Ruled Out of Ireland T20Is Due to Injury, Doubtful for England Series

⁠”Varun Chakravarthy is in the final stages of his rehab at the BCCI COE following his left foot injury sustained in the TATA IPL 2026. He is ruled out of the T20I series against Ireland,” BCCI said in a statement on June 21.

However, India have not named a replacement for Varun Chakaravarthy for the India vs Ireland T20I series. If he gets fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence before July 1, he will travel to England for the T20I series. If not, the Indian team management will have to announce a replacement for the England tour.

Varun Chakaravarthy had a torrid IPL 2026. Following T20 World Cup 2026, he suffered fractures in two bowling fingers. Then, he developed a hairline fracture in his left toe in May. Yet, he played 11 matches through injuries and picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.78. It was his second-worst season since 2022. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted that Chakaravarthy played with injuries. Yet, the KKR management did not stop him from playing.

“Varun was eager to play. And he gets all the credit because in that injury, you show how important the team is for you. Varun was completely ready. Yes, we had to give him a break in one match because he was in a lot of pain. But he thought he could play. That communication came from him,” Rahane said in a pre-match press conference in late May.

Varun Chakaravarthy misses Ireland T20Is due to injury; England series participation remains uncertain

While Ajinkya Rahane and his Kolkata Knight Riders teammates praised Varun Chakaravarthy for playing through pain, the spinner was clearly struggling during matches. As a result, India will now be without him for the Ireland T20I series and possibly the England T20Is as well. Despite being aware of his injuries, KKR coach Abhishek Nayar backed Chakaravarthy's decision to continue playing and left the final call to the spinner himself.

“I do not think my words will do justice to it. For him to go through injury, endure a difficult start to the season, and then come back into form is a testament to how strong he is as a character. He has already broken quite a few bones during this tournament, specifically two fingers, and now his toe. He is someone who is highly motivated and feels very deeply for the franchise, too. He is very emotional when it comes to this team and everyone associated with it. That is the thought process behind his wanting to continue rather than forcing himself to do so. Sometimes players are not keen to push through, but he has been very keen because of the love he has for the city and the franchise,” Abhishek Nayar said in a pre-match press conference.

“I know for a fact that KKR physio is in touch with Team India physio [Kamlesh Jain]. There has been a communication from KKR to BCCI that in a previous match, Varun injured his left foot while saving a boundary. It is understood that he has a hairline fracture. I believe as a centrally contracted player of the BCCI, his fitness is paramount and the BCCI medical team could intervene. Jain might be asked as to what was the input from the KKR medical team,” a BCCI official told PTI.

India’s squad for Ireland T20Is (updated): Shreyas Iyer (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna.