- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:42 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs USA ICC T20 World Cup 2026: The Men in Blue's preparation for the upcoming mega event has been affected by a couple of fitness issues, as star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will be missing their tournament opener against the USA owing to viral fever. As per The Indian Express, Bumrah did attend the training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
His absence has left the team with 13 fit players ahead of their title defence. Washington Sundar hasn't joined the World Cup team yet, as he is currently awaiting clearance from the relevant authorities.
On Friday, the BCCI officially revealed that Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the mega event. He had sustained a knee injury in the warm-up match against South Africa this week.
“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. 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," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement.
Mohammed Siraj has been named as his replacement, and in Bumrah’s absence, is likely to be included in India’s playing XI tonight.
Rana was seen holding his knee during the warm-up fixture held at the DY Patil Stadium. He bowled just one over and conceded 16 runs before hobbling off the field.
India is aiming to become the first team to win three T20 World Cup titles.
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