T20 World Cup: Mohammed Siraj replaces injured Harshit Rana in India's squad
India have named senior pacer Mohammed Siraj as Harshit Rana's replacement after the fast bowler was ruled out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 with a knee injury sustained during a warm-up match.
India have named senior pacer Mohammed Siraj as the replacement for Harshit Rana, who has been ruled out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 due to a knee injury sustained during a warm-up game.
"Team India pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 after sustaining a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4, 2026. 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. Mohd. Siraj will join the team as Harshit's replacement in the squad," the BCCI said in a statement.
Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav's admission had all but confirmed that head coach Gautam Gambhir's 24-year-old protg was unlikely to recover in time for the tournament, which begins with India's opening fixture against the USA on Saturday.
"Harshit Rana has not been ruled out yet. The physios are assessing him, but he does not look good," Suryakumar said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
The Indian captain, however, attempted to play down the setback.
"Don't worry, we have 11 players for tomorrow. But it obviously would be a big blow because you pick a squad of 15 after a lot of thought, and he was included following a detailed process," Suryakumar said.
"But if he is not available going forward, we will look at different combinations. We have enough players and options for all teams in this tournament, but if he is not available, we will definitely miss him," he added.
Rana managed to bowl only one over in the warm-up match against South Africa, conceding 16 runs before hobbling off the field with a knee injury.
While Rana was not a guaranteed starter, with an economy rate of 10.60 in nine T20Is, he could have been a useful option in specific conditions. He also offers depth with the bat in the lower order.
India's updated squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Siraj
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