Team India will lock horns with the USA on 7th February, at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM IST. Ahead of the competition begins the co-hosts have been struck with an injury problem. Pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup after picking up a knock in the knee during the warm-up game against South Africa.
Harshit Rana’s injury comes at the wrong time, with him picking up his form for the Men in Blue. Rana limped off the field during their warm-up match, and it was believed that he suffered from joint tenderness. The India speedster was the only third main line pacer in the side after Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. Harshit Rana only bowled an over during the warm-up match.
Harshit Rana to miss IPL?
Harshit Rana has been replaced by Mohammed Siraj, who was part of the Indian side in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup 2024. Siraj will look for an opportunity and play some games in the competition when needed. Siraj will join the side ahead of the first game on Saturday and also might take the field for India as Jasprit Bumrah has been down with a fever.
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As per reports from RevSportz, Harshit is set to undergo surgery. If that is the case, then he might also be ruled out of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and might not feature for the Kolkata Knight Riders. This would be a huge blow for the franchise, as he was their best bowler in the previous edition of the league.
| Harshit Rana – IPL Bowling Stats | ||||||||||||||
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Tournament |
Team | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| IPL | KKR | 34 | 32 | 649 | 1029 | 40 | 3-24 | 3-24 | 25.72 | 9.51 | 16.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
BCCI provides updates on Harshit Rana
BCCI had stated in its press release updating on Harshit Rana’s injury and naming the replacement, “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.”
Previously, team India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked during the pre-match press conference about Harshit Rana’s injury, ahead of the news of him being ruled out and India announcing the replacement.
Surya said, “Harshit does not look good. We will know today. If Harshit is ruled out, it will be a big blow. We will have to look at other combinations. But we have enough bench strength. We shall see. No hard and fast rule that he has to be an all-rounder.”
India now has 13 fit members in their squad, with Washington Sundar also not recovered from the rib injury he suffered during the India vs New Zealand ODI series, and Bumrah is down with a fever. It is a huge challenge for Captain Suryakumar Yadav to pick his combination for the first game against the USA.
India is fighting with injuries
Though India has not announced any replacement for Sundar and is still assessing his fitness, he was scheduled to bowl on 4th February. However, the team management is taking a careful “wait-and-see” approach for the Tamil Nadu all-rounder. He has been in the BCCI Center of Excellence rehabbing from his injury.
If Sundar gets ruled out, it will be a huge blow for the side. However, he can be replaced by inform Ravi Bishnoi, who bowled brilliantly in the T20I series against the Kiwis since his return to the side and with Shreyas Iyer and Riyan Parag also in consideration.
Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah RULED OUT of T20 World Cup 2026…..