Tilak Varma Ruled Out of New Zealand T20I Series Due to Abdomen Injury | Report

India batter Tilak Varma is reportedly set to miss the New Zealand T20I series after suffering an abdominal injury, raising concerns over his participation in the T20 World Cup 2026.

India will reportedly miss Tilak Varma for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting on January 21 in Nagpur. According to reports from the Indian Express, the middle-order batter sustained an abdominal injury and will fail to recover in time. A report on January 8 confirmed his unavailability for the entire series.

The 23-year-old felt discomfort while in Rajkot for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He had represented Hyderabad in the domestic competition. Medical checks followed soon after the incident. Doctors at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru reviewed his scans.

The medical team has advised surgery and a recovery period of three to four weeks. Team management plans to name a replacement before the series begins. Selection sources also ruled out Shubman Gill as a replacement option.

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“Tilak faced severe pain in his abdomen today (Wednesday). He was rushed to a hospital in Rajkot, where various scans were done, and reports were sent to doctors at the COE. Doctors have advised him to undergo surgery, which will take three to four weeks for him to recover. Chances of playing the entire T20I against New Zealand look bleak,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.

If Tilak Varma undergoes surgery, India could face a challenge in the T20 World Cup 2026. India begins their campaign on February 7 against the United States in Mumbai, followed by a fixture against Namibia in Delhi on February 12. The match against Pakistan is scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. All four matches begin at 07:00 PM IST.

India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026 and New Zealand T20Is:

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK)