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After the Indian Premier League 2026 ends, India Men will be preparing for their three-match ODI series and a one-off Test match against Afghanistan. And as the date is nearing, there are speculations regarding the Indian squad.

 

Notably, reports are suggesting the Lucknow Super Giants' emerging talent Prince Yadav to be in ODI squad. A report from the PTI claimed the 23-year ord LSG bowler might get a call for the national side.

 

Prince, who had limited exposure in 2025 made himself extremely valuable for LSG despite their ongoing batting struggle. In 2026, he has represented the side in 12 matches and took 16 wickets at an economy of 8.53.

 

His standout moment of the 2026 season came on May 7, when he bowled a sensational delivery to dismiss Virat Kohli for a two-ball duck, helping LSG defend their total at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

 

Prince stole the limelight in domestic cricket too. In eight matches of the last Vijay Hazare Trophy, he finished with 18 wickets in 8 matches representing Delhi. In the latest Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he bagged 11 scalps, leading Delhi to the semifinals. With Harshit Rana being unavailable due to injury recovery, Prince might get his maiden call.

 

Read also: ‘It’s Wrong': Ravichandran Ashwin Fires at PBKS Management Over Home Venue Change Decision

 

Can Devdutt Padikkal return to Test cricket?

 

Even though the Afghanistan Test is not a part of the World Test Cycle of 2025-2027, the BCCI is looking forward to it as a preparation for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. India has been struggling with the number 3, and this time, Padikkal may get a call replacing Sai Sudharsan.

 

In 2024, he played against England at Dharmashala as a replacement for the injured KL Rahul. Padikkal made an immediate impact by smashing an elegant 65 runs off 103 balls in his debut innings, hitting 10 fours and a six. His second Test appearance came during 2024 BGT in Perth, where he scored 0 and 25 across both innings.

 

Padikkal however had a good time in domestic red-ball cricket. In the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, he amassed 543 runs from ten innings at an impressive average of 60.33. The previous season was even more remarkable, as he piled up 556 runs in just six innings, averaging 92.66.

 

Restrictions on Bumrah's availability

 

Meanwhile, India are set to carefully monitor Jasprit Bumrah’s workload following IPL 2026, with the pacer likely to play either the one-off Test against Afghanistan or the subsequent ODI series, but not both.

 

If Bumrah misses the Test, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna could spearhead the pace attack, while Jammu and Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi remains in contention as a backup option.

 

India vs Afghanistan Match Schedule

 

Match	Date	Venue
One-off Test	June 6–10	New Chandigarh
1st ODI	June 14	Dharamsala
2nd ODI	June 17	Lucknow
3rd ODI	June 20	Chennai