India's Squad Update for T20 World Cup

Mohammed Siraj will replace Harshit Rana in India's squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, starting on February 7. Rana was officially ruled out after sustaining a knee injury during India's warm-up fixture against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4.

Rana underwent scans following the game and, after consultations with a specialist, the BCCI medical team deemed him unfit to take part in the tournament. India had a decision to make on his replacement given Rana also brought batting abilities lower down the order.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav highlighted the significance of Rana's absence, stating, "(That it's a) big blow is obvious. If you make a squad of 15 players, you make the squad with a lot of combinations in mind."

Suryakumar further added, "We'll see which fast bowlers have done really well for the last 1 or 2 years. And who is a bowler who can bat as well."

Mohammed Siraj, who last played a T20I on July 30, 2024, against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, will join the squad shortly. The 31-year-old Siraj was most recently in action in the Ranji Trophy leading Hyderabad.

India's Updated World Cup 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
• Mohammed Siraj