Harshit Rana ruled out of T20 World Cup; Siraj called up as replacement

India allrounder Harshit Rana has been ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026 after sustaining a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. Mohammed Siraj has been brought into the squad as his replacement.*

"Following consultations with a specialist and subsequent scans, the BCCI medical team deemed him [Rana] unfit to participate in the tournament," the BCCI said in a release.

Earlier in the day, captain Suryakumar Yadav had said Rana "doesn't look good". "He's being assessed by the physios. But I think, today we'll know what's going to happen. But it doesn't look good, it's not that great."

Rana had bowled just the one over against South Africa before walking off the field. He was later seen with a strapped knee.

Siraj last played a T20I for India in July 2024. He has played only 16 T20Is, in which he has picked up 14 wickets with an economy rate of 7.79, but has plenty of IPL experience under his belt. In all, he has featured in 160 T20 games, picking up 183 wickets with an economy rate of 8.25.

Rana, apart from his fast bowling, also brings lower-order ability with the bat, which he demonstrated with a boundary-laden 52 off 43 balls in a recent ODI against New Zealand. Siraj, meanwhile, is a genuine tailender.

India prioritise batting depth in T20Is, but Rana's unavailability may not cause too much concern if all other players are fit, with allrounders Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube giving India plenty of bowling depth alongside three specialist bowling options. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are set to be the two main fast bowlers, with Siraj in reserve, and Varun Chakravarthy the main wristspinner ahead of Kuldeep Yadav.

"Don't worry, we have 11 players for tomorrow," Suryakumar said with a laugh. "But it's a big blow obviously because you make a squad of 15 players with a lot of combinations in mind. So we made it with the same thought. And if he [Rana] is not available for us going forward, then we will set other combinations, however we can do it. But we have enough players, enough combinations, which we can make against all the teams for this tournament. But if we miss him, we will definitely miss him"

Rana played three of the five T20Is in the recent home series against New Zealand, which India won 4-1. India had not named any reserve players while announcing their squad of 15 since this is a home World Cup, and players can be flown into the squad at short notice.

Suryakumar had said batting ability would not be the primary concern if India needed to pick a replacement for Rana.

"We will see which fast bowlers have done really well for the last one or two years," Suryakumar said. "And which bowler can bat as well. But there is no hard-and-fast rule that he has to bat. Because if you are expecting someone at No. 9 or 10 to come and hit a six, then what do you have the top eight for. But we will see whom to pick. We do have a few options but we will pick the best one."