Tilak Varma Out of New Zealand Series, T20 World Cup Return Likely

• Tilak Varma will miss the entire T20 series against New Zealand, having already sat out the first three matches.
• Despite missing the New Zealand series, Tilak Varma is expected to join Team India before the T20 World Cup 2026.
• He is scheduled to join the Indian team in Mumbai on February 3 and might play a warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4.
• Shreyas Iyer, who replaced Tilak Varma for the New Zealand series, is likely to remain in the squad for the remaining matches.
• Ishan Kishan has performed exceptionally at number 3 in Tilak Varma's absence, scoring 76 off 32 balls and 28 off 13 balls in recent matches.

Why It Matters: Tilak Varma is out of the New Zealand T20 series but is expected to return for the T20 World Cup 2026.