Mumbai, February 6: The participation of injured fast-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana in the T20 World Cup remains uncertain. Discussions are intensifying regarding potential replacements for the player.
Harshit Rana, who has played nine T20 matches, sustained a knee injury during India’s warm-up match against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. After bowling just one over, he was seen limping off the field while holding his knee. However, India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, stated that Rana has not yet been ruled out of the team.
Sources revealed on Friday that senior fast bowler Mohammed Siraj is the frontrunner to replace Harshit Rana, with seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna also under consideration.
According to sources, “No replacement has been finalized for Harshit Rana yet. A suitable replacement will be determined after consulting all relevant stakeholders among Siraj, Nitish, and Prasidh. It is certain that Rana’s replacement will come from these three, although Siraj has a slight edge over the others.”
Mohammed Siraj has played 16 T20 matches for India and was part of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2024. Prasidh Krishna, who took the most wickets in IPL 2025 with 25, has played five T20 matches for India, all in 2023.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has played four T20 matches and is currently competing for Andhra in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals against Bengal at the Kalyani Bengal Cricket Academy Ground.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, starting on February 7. India will kick off its campaign with a match against the USA on the opening day.
