Blow for India U19: Rana, Patel Out; Rising Stars Deepesh & Naman Step In

June 16, 2025: In a significant development ahead of the India U-19 cricket team’s tour of England, Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel have been ruled out due to injuries. The BCCI’s Junior Cricket Committee announced D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak as their replacements, both of whom were on the standby list.

The month-long England tour, scheduled from June 24 to July 23, 2025, will feature a 50-over warm-up game, a five-match Youth ODI series, and two multi-day games against England U-19.

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Rana has sustained a stress fracture in his lower back, while Patel is recovering from a stress reaction in his right leg, both injuries occurring during the ongoing high-performance camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.

Ayush Mhatre, the promising Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener, will captain the squad. Mhatre made headlines in IPL 2025 with 206 runs in six games at a staggering strike rate of 187.27, including a near-century knock of 94 vs RCB.

Also turning heads is 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who stunned fans with a 38-ball 101 for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, making him the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket. His IPL campaign ended with 252 runs in seven matches and a blistering strike rate of 206.56.

India’s tour kicks off on June 24 with a warm-up match at Loughborough University, followed by ODIs on June 27 (Hove), June 30 & July 2 (Northampton), and July 5 & 7 (Worcester). The multi-day matches are scheduled from July 12–15 (Beckenham) and July 20–23 (Chelmsford).

Updated India U-19 Squad:
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, Naman Pushpak.