IND vs NAM: Why is Mohammed Siraj not playing tonight's clash in T20 World Cup 2026?
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Mohammed Siraj played in the previous clash against the USA in the T20 World Cup 2026.
India are clashing with Namibia in their second match of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday, February 12. Both teams are placed in Group A in the tournament. While the Men-in-Blue won their previous clash against the USA, Namibia lost to the Netherlands.
Namibia won the toss and opted to bowl first in the clash, which is taking place at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. At the toss, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav informed that India have made two changes to their playing XI. Abhishek Sharma and Mohammed Siraj were not part of the match.
Jasprit Burmah and Sanju Samson were added to the playing XI. Notably, Siraj was part of the previous game where he also finished as the team’s highest wicket-taker with three wickets. Due to Harshit Rana’s knee injury just ahead of the tournament, Siraj was added to the squad as a replacement.
Why is Siraj absent from the IND vs NAM clash?
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah did not play in the previous game against the USA due to illness. Siraj was added to the team in his absence. However, Bumrah has recovered for the match against Namibia and returned to the playing XI. As a result, Siraj was dropped from the encounter. Moreover, Abhishek Sharma was rested as he recently recovered from his stomach issue.
Speaking about playing XI, Yadav said, “It’s a very good wicket. Hopefully, batters go out, enjoy themselves. Abhishek is still not fine, he will miss a game or two. Sanju comes in, similar batter, explosive. Bumrah comes in for Siraj.”
About being asked to bat first, he stated, “We were looking to bat first. Very happy with it. As long as we are losing the toss and winning the game, we are fine with it. It’s a big tournament and this dew is going to be a big factor, but when you bat first and go out and defend, I think it gives you a lot of confidence.”
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Namibia (Playing XI): Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green(w), Ruben Trumpelmann, Malan Kruger, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Max Heingo.
Who has replaced Mohammed Siraj in India’s playing XI against Namibia?
Jasprit Bumrah has replaced Siraj in India’s playing XI against Namibia.
Why is Siraj not part of IND vs NAM match?
Mohammed Siraj has been dropped for IND vs NAM match after Jasprit Bumrah’s return.
Who won the toss in IND vs NAM clash?
Namibia won the toss and opted to field first.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.