Ayush Badoni recently had quite the turn in fortunes. When Washington Sundar got injured in the 1st ODI of the recent three-match series against New Zealand, the Delhi star got his maiden call-up to the national side to replace the all-rounder. Despite being part of the squad, he never made his way into the playing XI. Badoni has also not been selected for the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. However, just a few days before the start of the tournament, he might have gotten another golden ticket, as he will be part of the tournament’s preparatory stage, and not when the main round of matches begin.
India A are set to play two matches in the round of warm-up games for the T20 World Cup 2026. The side are all set to face off against USA on February 2 at Navi Mumbai, and against Namibia on February 6 at Bengaluru. According to a report by The Times of India, Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya hav been selected in the India A side, and will not be part of the the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Mumbai. Since Badoni is the Delhi captain, he will be replaced by Ayush Doseja in the leadership role vs Mumbai.
ALSO READ: Why Was Ayush Badoni Called Up In T20I Series Vs New Zealand
Why Are India A Playing T20 World Cup 2026 Warm-Up Matches?
A total of 15 warm-up matches will be played by various teams from February 2 to 6 in the lead up to the T20 World Cup 2026, which begins from February 7. However, the three top teams will not play any warm-up match – Australia, New Zealand and England. Hence, India A comes as a replacement team. Even Sri Lanka A will play one warm-up match against Oman in Colombo on February 3.
India will also play a warm-up match against South Africa in the lead up to their first T20 World Cup 2026 game against USA on February 7.
List Of All Warm-Up Matches Of T20 World Cup 2026:
- February 2 – Afghanistan vs Scotland – Bengaluru – 3 PM
- February 2 – India A vs USA – Navi Mumbai – 5 PM
- February 2 – Canada vs Italy – Chennai – 7 PM
- February 3 – Sri Lanka A vs Oman – Colombo – 1 PM
- February 3 – Netherlands vs Zimbabwe – Colombo – 3 PM
- February 3 – Nepal vs UAE – Chennai – 5 PM
- February 4 – Namibia vs Scotland – Bengaluru – 1 PM
- February 4 – Afghanistan vs West Indies – Bengaluru – 3 PM
- February 4 – Ireland vs Pakistan – Colombo – 5 PM
- February 4 – India vs South Africa – Navi Mumbai – 7 PM
- February 5 – Oman vs Zimbabwe – Colombo – 1 PM
- February 5 – Canada vs Nepal – Chennai – 3 PM
- February 5 – New Zealand vs USA – Navi Mumbai – 5 PM
- February 6 – Italy vs UAE – Chennai – 3 PM
- February 6 – India A vs Namibia – Bengaluru – 5 PM
