Will Mohammed Siraj play tonight for IND vs USA in T20 World Cup 2026?
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Mohammed Siraj was added into the Indian squad for T20 World Cup 2026 as a replacement for Harshit Rana.
Team India will kick off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign by taking on the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. The tournament also begins today with as many as three matches scheduled on the opening day.
Pakistan will take on the Netherlands in the first game in Colombo. Next, the West Indies takes on Scotland in the second game in Kolkata, followed by the India vs USA match in Mumbai at 7 PM IST.
Just ahead of the tournament, India suffered a big blow as Harshit Rana got ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. He picked up the injury during India’s warm-up game against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, February 4.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team, after conducting a thorough assessment of his injury with the assistance of a specialist, deemed him unfit to play, and he was eventually ruled out of the tournament. Rana’s absence will be a key factor in this Indian team, as he could bat at number 8, giving a lot of depth to the Indian batting lineup.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav admitted in the pre-match press conference that Rana will be a big miss for the team, but also added that the squad has enough depth to make up for his absence. Eventually, the BCCI selectors named Mohammed Siraj as his replacement.
Siraj played his last T20I for India on July 30, 2024, against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. He was leading Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy when he was named India’s replacement for the World Cup. The pacer has already joined the Indian team and is expected to play India’s tournament opener against the USA in Mumbai on Saturday, February 7.
Mohammed Siraj to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian XI for IND vs USA clash
Meanwhile, as per reports in Indian Express, lead Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah is all set to miss IND vs USA game in Mumbai due to viral fever. Siraj will thus step in as Bumrah’s replacement and will play a key role against the minnows in India’s first game. He will look for an impactful performance in the absence of the senior pacer.
The Indian team has been playing some brilliant cricket in the format in the build-up to this T20 World Cup. They won against South Africa and New Zealand in their last two T20I series leading into the tournament and are already being seen as the favourites to win the T20 World Cup at home.
If they eventually win the tournament, India will become the first team to win the T20 World Cup at home and the first team to win the T20 World Cup back-to-back.
India predicted XI for IND vs USA clash
Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vc), Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
Who will India take on in their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign opener?
India will take on the USA in their campaign opener in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Why was Harshit Rana ruled out from the T20 World Cup 2026?
Harshit Rana was ruled out from the T20 World Cup due to a knee injury he sustained in India’s warm-up fixture against South Africa in Mumbai on February 4.
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Anshuman Roy is a senior cricket journalist with nearly a decade of experience covering the game. His love for cricket began in childhood, playing at school and college level before turning that passion into a profession. Over the years, he has written for several reputed media houses and specialises in news, features, previews, reviews, match reports, and opinion pieces.