The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the replacement of Axar Patel by Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Shardul Thakur in the men's T20 World Cup squad. Although the reason for the change was not revealed, Axar Patel has now been moved into the stand-by players' list.

While the Indian selectors had picked a preliminary 15-man squad on September 8 for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Axar Patel was part of the main squad while Shardul Thakur was named in the reserves. "All-rounder Axar Patel, who was part of the 15-member squad will now be on the list of standby players," an official release by the BCCI read. The board also stated that Delhi Capitals pacer Avesh Khan, Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Umran Malik, and Royal Challengers Bangalore's Harshal Patel, who all performed well in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2021, will join the team bubble in Dubai to assist Team India in their preparations. Former Indian captain MS Dhoni will be mentoring the team, which will be led by Virat Kohli.

Other players, including Lukman Meriwala, Venkatesh Iyer, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, and K Gowtham, will also be involved in assisting the team. India will be playing their first match of the tournament against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on October 24, while they will be facing off against New Zealand at the same venue on October 31.

?? NEWS ??: Shardul Thakur replaces Axar Patel in #TeamIndia's World Cup squad. #T20WorldCup

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— BCCI (@BCCI) October 13, 2021