Mohammed Siraj Replaces Injured Harshit Rana In India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Squad

India made a late change to their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad after young pacer Harshit Rana was ruled out due to a knee injury. The setback occurred during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai, where the 24-year-old bowled just one over and conceded 16 runs before being taken off the field. He had also faced one delivery with the bat earlier in the game.

Confirming the development, the BCCI released a statement saying, “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 4th 2026.” The statement further added, “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.”

Rana’s injury comes at a difficult time for India, especially with doubts already lingering over the fitness of spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar. The defending champions now face added concerns as they finalise preparations for the global tournament.

In his brief international career so far, Rana has represented India in nine T20Is, scoring 57 runs at an average of 28.5 with a top score of 35. With the ball, he has taken nine wickets at an average of 33.0, including best figures of 3/33.

Siraj, who now steps into the squad, last featured in a T20I in July 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. While he has been a regular in India’s Test setup, his T20I numbers include 14 wickets from 16 matches at an average of 32.28, an economy of 7.79, and best bowling figures of 4/17.

India’s updated squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 is: 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.