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Cricket PlayersHarshit Rana ruled out of T20 World Cup, Mohammed Siraj comes in as replacement
Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup, opening the door for Mohammed Siraj to earn a call-up.
India pacer Harshit Rana on Friday was ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup due to the knee injury he sustained in the warm-up match against South Africa on Wednesday, February 4. The selectors have now named Mohammed Siraj as the replacement. In the warm-up tie against the Proteas, Rana was seen in discomfort when he was bowling his over, and after completing it, he walked off the field and did not take any further part in the contest.
He pulled up in his bowling stride on two occasions, and he was then seen clutching his knee, which ended his further participation in the contest. He only bowled one over, where he gave away 16 runs.
“Following consultations with a specialist and subsequent scans, the BCCI medical team deemed him unfit to participate in the tournament. The team management wishes him a speedy recovery,” the BCCI said in an official release on Friday.
Speaking of Siraj, he last played a T20I for India in July 2024, which also marked the beginning of Gautam Gambhir's tenure as the head coach. The Gujarat Titans pacer has played 16 T20Is for India, taking 14 wickets.
He was confirmed as the replacement for Rana after being given the go-ahead by the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. According to official rules and regulations, the replacement of any player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee (ETC) before the player can be officially added to the squad.
The ETC of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 consists of Wasim Khan - ICC General Manager – Cricket (ICC Representative), Gaurav Saxena (IBC Representative), Hemang Amin (Host Representative), and Shaun Pollock (Independent Representative).
Ahead of India's opening T20 World Cup match against the USA on Saturday, India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not give any definitive answers regarding Rana's injury; however, according to reports, he has indeed been ruled out of the tournament.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav breaks silence on Pakistan’s boycott of India T20 World Cup match: ‘We didn’t say no. They did’
“Harshit Rana hasn’t been ruled out yet, physios are assessing him, but he doesn’t look good,” Suryakumar told reporters on Friday afternoon in Mumbai.
When asked whether Rana would be a big miss going ahead, Suryakumar replied, “It’s a big blow because of the combination we make, keeping in mind 15 players. If he misses out, we will definitely miss him. We have enough options. We shall look at the replacements of fast bowlers who are there. We shall pick the best one. I know there is the case of someone batting at no. 9 like Harshit, but having said that, what will the first 8 batsmen do then?! They have to bat."
Washington Sundar still hasn't recovered
India are also sweating over the fitness of Washington Sundar as the spin-bowling all-rounder is yet to recover from his injury and join the squad for the World Cup.
Tilak Varma has joined the squad, and he also played the warm-up match against South Africa. India are in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA.
India’s updated squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj.
