Hyderabad skipper Tilak Varma is ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand, the BCCI said on Thursday evening. In a release, the BCCI said Tilak Varma underwent surgery for an abdominal issue in Rajkot on Wednesday and was discharged from the hospital on Thursday morning. The batter is scheduled to fly back to Hyderabad on Friday. He is currently stable and progressing well.
Tilak will resume physical training and gradually return to skill-based activities once his symptoms have fully resolved and wound healing is satisfactory. He is ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand. His availability for the remaining two matches will be assessed based on his progress during the return-to-training and skill phases, said the BCCI release issued by secretary Devajit Saikia.
Tilak, who is leading Hyderabad in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, played for his side against Bengal on Tuesday. It is understood that the injury did not occur during the match. He experienced pain later and was immediately advised to undergo scans, followed by the procedure. He is expected to report to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in the next few days, and a timeline for his rehab and return will be established once he is assessed, though it could be three-four weeks.
The timing of Tilak’s injury and recovery period means he could be touch and go for India’s T20 World Cup opener against USA in Mumbai on February 7. Their other group fixtures are against Namibia (February 12), Pakistan (February 15) and Netherlands (February 18).
After playing the T20I series against South Africa in December, Tilak led Hyderabad in two 50-over games at the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 109 against Chandigarh on January 3 and made 34 against Bengal on Tuesday.
Tilak has been a key member of India’s T20I squad over the past six months, having played in each of their last three assignments: Asia Cup (September), Australia T20Is (October) and South Africa T20Is (December). He made 567 runs in 18 innings last year at an average of 47.25 and strike rate of 129.15.
India are yet to name a replacement for the five T20Is against New Zealand on January 21, 23, 25, 28 and 31. Teams can make changes to their T20 World Cup squad without needing ICC approval until January 31, 2026.
