Mohammed Siraj to linkup with India T20I squad in Mumbai today; Harshit Rana all but ruled out of World Cup

Times of India.com in Mumbai: Mohammed Siraj is set to replace injured Harshit Rana in India's squad for the ICC T20 World Cup, the TimesofIndia.com can confirm.

It is learnt that Siraj is all set to fly to Mumbai today to link up with T20I squad before India’s World Cup opener against USA to be played on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium.




Harshit Rana picked up an injury during India’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. Rana aborted his run-up twice in an over before clutching his knee and walking off the field. He managed to bowl only one over, conceding 16 runs.

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It is also learnt that Rana has met Dr Dinshaw Pardiwalla on Friday morning, and it might be a long injury layoff for the 24-year-old.

The team management didn't want to take any risk on the Delhi pacer as damage on his knees is more than it was first expected.

However, at the pre-match press conference, captain Suryakumar Yadav didn't revealed anything.

"Harshit Rana has not been ruled out yet, the physios are assessing him but he does not look good," Suryakumar said .

"We will see which (other) fast bowlers have done really well for the last one or two years or if there is any bowler who can bat as well.

"But there is no hard and fast rule that he can bat, because if you are expecting someone at No.9 or No.10 to come out and hit a six, then what are the other eight (players) doing before him? We will see, we do have a few options but we will pick the best one," he added.


India are already dealing with fitness concerns. Washington Sundar, who missed the New Zealand series with a side strain, remains part of the squad and is expected to return in time. Tilak Varma, who was earlier ruled out, has since featured in two warm-up games.

Defending champions India will start their T20 World Cup campaign at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.