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Jasprit Bumrah Misses India's T20 WC Opener Due to Illness, Siraj Steps In

India's premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the team's opening 2026 T20 World Cup match against the USA due to illness, with the BCCI medical team monitoring his condition. Mohammed Siraj, recently added to the squad as a replacement for the injured Harshit Rana, was drafted into the playing XI in Bumrah's absence. In other selection news, Ishan Kishan was chosen as the first-choice wicket-keeper batter over Sanju Samson for the tournament opener. The USA won the toss and elected to bowl first at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

Key Points: Bumrah Ill, Misses India's T20 World Cup Opener vs USA

  • Bumrah misses opener due to illness
  • Siraj drafted into playing XI
  • Ishan Kishan picked over Sanju Samson
  • USA wins toss, elects to bowl
2 min read

T20 WC: Jasprit Bumrah misses tournament opener due to illness

Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of India's first 2026 T20 World Cup match against USA due to illness. Mohammed Siraj replaces him in the playing XI.

"Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for selection... due to illness. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his condition. - BCCI Statement"

Mumbai, Feb 7

Senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for selection in India's opener 2026 T20 World Cup opener against the USA due to illness, said the BCCI in a statement on Saturday

"Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for selection for India's opening T20 World Cup fixture against the USA due to illness. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his condition."

As a result, Mohammed Siraj was added to the playing XI, who was recently drafted into the 15-player squad after Harshit Rana was ruled out due to a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4. Mohammed Siraj last played a T20I for India in July 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.

"Following consultations with a specialist and subsequent scans, the BCCI medical team deemed him unfit to participate in the tournament. The team management wishes him a speedy recovery. Mohd. Siraj will join the team as Harshit's replacement in the squad," BCCI had stated in its press release.

India also missed out on Sanju Samson and picked in-form Ishan Kishan as the first-choice wicket-keeper batter in the tournament opener. Earlier, USA won the toss and elected to bowl against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

Ishan Kishan will open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. Ishan scored 53 in the warm-up game against South Africa as an opener. He scored 103 as one drop against New Zealand in their last T20 game in Trivandrum.

Playing XIs:

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy

USA: Saiteja Mukkamalla, Andries Gous (wk), Monank Patel (capt), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Shubham Ranjane, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
The team management needs to be more transparent. First Harshit Rana gets injured, now Bumrah is ill right before the opener. Were there proper fitness protocols in place? Siraj hasn't played a T20I in over a year. Feels like we're scrambling.
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Arjun K
USA choosing to bowl at Wankhede? Bold move. Our batting line-up looks solid even without Bumrah. Ishan and Abhishek can give a fiery start. Hope the boys put up a big total and Siraj finds his rhythm quickly. 🇮🇳 #MenInBlue
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Priya S
Health comes first, always. Wishing Bumrah a very speedy recovery. The medical team is doing their job, we should trust them. On the bright side, it's a good opportunity for Siraj to prove himself. Let's focus on supporting the team that's on the field! 💙
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Michael C
Interesting to see Kishan picked over Samson. Based on recent warm-up form, it makes sense. But Samson's experience in pressure situations is valuable. Hope the selection pays off. The USA team has some familiar IPL names like Netravalkar, can't take them lightly.
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Kavya N
So much last-minute change! It's unsettling for team chemistry. First change in squad, now change in playing XI. Hope the boys can adapt quickly. At least we are playing at home in Mumbai. The crowd support will be massive! 🤞🏻

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