The India National Cricket Team has been dealing with multiple injury concerns even before starting their title defence at the T20 World Cup 2026.
Injury worries hit India before the T20 World Cup 2026 begins
Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the tournament, while the Indian team management has yet to receive the green light on Washington Sundar from the BCCI CoE.
There is one piece of positive news: Tilak Varma is fine after playing a quickfire knock in the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up game against South Africa. It was his first game after recovering from testicular torsion that required immediate surgery during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025.
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Harshit Rana’s knee injury ends his World Cup dream
As the Men in Blue gear up to face the USA in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the BCCI has announced the replacement for Harshit Rana. The Delhi lad was ruled out of the global event due to a knee injury.
Rana hurt his knee during India’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai earlier this week. The fast bowler stopped his run-up twice in the same over and then held his knee before leaving the field, and now he will miss the entire tournament.
Mohammed Siraj is named as Rana’s replacement
Following the setback, the BCCI selectors have acted swiftly, and this time, they went for experience for their title defense. India’s senior and fiery pacer Mohammed Siraj has been named as Rana’s replacement in India’s squad for the showpiece event at home and in Sri Lanka.
Mohammed Siraj has been added to the India squad after the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved the injury replacement. Siraj linked up with the Indian team in Mumbai on Friday, February 6, and he is likely to feature in the tournament opener against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium.
The aggressive bowler has not been part of India’s T20I side since July 2024, but Rana’s injury offered him a golden opportunity to play his second T20 World Cup, having been part of the last edition’s triumphant campaign in 2024 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
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Siraj’s experience adds strength to India’s bowling attack
The Hyderabad-born pacer, who is known for his relentless fitness and never-give-up attitude, recently played for India in the ODI series against the Black Caps. Siraj’s most recent outing was for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy against Chhattisgarh, where he scalped five wickets.
Siraj is a specialist bowler in the powerplay, and he will share the duty with the ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah at the T20E World Cup 2026, given his proven track record of delivering match-winning spells and handling the pressure situation in the big games.
However, the fast bowler has so far played in 16 T20Is for India, taking 14 wickets at an average of 32.28 and an economy rate of 7.79. But Siraj remains the strike bowler for India in Tests and ODIs, where he played around 100 games and scalped over 200 wickets across these two formats.
