Gujarat Titans pacer Mohammed Siraj made a dramatic and unexpected return to the T20I side, featuring in India's T20 World Cup opener against the USA after a 557-day absence from the format. Siraj was drafted into the playing XI at the last minute, replacing Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out due to a viral fever.
Despite the sudden inclusion, Siraj delivered a match-winning performance, leading the Indian pace attack with figures of 3/29 from his four overs. His disciplined bowling helped restrict the USA to 132/8, securing a 29-run victory for the defending champions. Siraj's immediate impact proved crucial, especially after the Indian batting unit struggled early in the innings.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed the change at the toss, noting that Siraj's inclusion was necessitated by Bumrah's illness. Siraj's successful return provides the Indian team management with confidence in their bench strength as they navigate the early stages of the tournament.
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“Unfortunately Bumrah is not well so Siraj is playing.”
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"Team India pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after sustaining a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4th 2026."
Mohammed Siraj is the frontrunner to join the squad in Mumbai before India’s opening clash against USA on Saturday (Feb 7). Other names in the mix include Prasidh Krishna and left-armer Khaleel Ahmed.
I played in the last T20 World Cup (in 2024), but this time I won’t be getting the chance. For a player, playing in a World Cup is a dream, and playing for your country is even bigger. Would’ve loved to compete in the big-ticket event, but workload management perhaps led to such a call.

“Unfortunately Bumrah is not well so Siraj is playing.”