Team India’s T20 WC 2026 campaign faces a setback as Jasprit Bumrah is ill and may miss the opener vs USA. With Harshit Rana injured and Washington Sundar’s fitness in doubt, the Men in Blue have early bowling concerns.
Ahead of the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against the USA in Mumbai, Team India reportedly received a setback as Jasprit Bumrah fell ill. The Men in Blue will enter the marquee event as the defending champions of the tournament, having won the title back in 2024 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
The selected players in India’s 15-member squad played a warm-up match against South Africa at the DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where they won by 30 runs, before heading to Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where they had their first practice session ahead of their opening match of the marquee event against the USA.
Ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, India received a major blow as Harshit Rana was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury sustained during the warm-up match against South Africa, and Mohammed Siraj came in as a replacement.
Bumrah To Miss the USA Opener
As India prepares to take on the USA in the T20 World Cup opener, the Men in Blue will likely miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah, who has reportedly fallen ill. According to the report by The Indian Express, Bumrah was down with the viral fever and is likely to take the field in India’s opening match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The 32-year-old did not feature in India’s warm-up match against South Africa and made an appearance in the pre-match practice session at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, but did not train.
As per the report by the Indian Express, the Team India management will not rush Jasprit Bumrah back into action and is expected to give him a rest to ensure full recovery, keeping his workload and the crucial stages of the tournament in mind.
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Jasprit Bumrah is one of the three specialist pacers for the tournament, alongside Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj. With Bumrah unlikely to feature in the USA opener, Arshdeep is expected to lead the pace attack, with Mohammed Siraj set to partner him, while the team management may rely on all-rounders for additional seam-bowling support if needed.
Bumrah’s Unavailability is Another Setback for Team India
Jasprit Bumrah’s unavailability for India’s opening match against the USA is another setback for the hosts, as they have already lost Harshit Rana to injury, further stretching the pace-bowling resources at the start of the tournament. With Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj now shouldering the responsibility to lead the pace attack, the team management will hope the duo can deliver early breakthroughs against the USA.
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue are already sweating on the fitness of Washington Sundar, who is yet to join the India squad after sustained side strain during the first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand.
Sundar is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and awaiting fitness clearance from the medical team before joining the squad. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav stated the team management will remain patient with the all-rounder’s fitness as they want him fully fit. It was reported that Sundat will miss the first few matches of the T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan will open the innings alongside marauding Abhishek Sharma, indicating that Sanju Samson, who failed to make an impact in the T20 series against New Zealand, will be warming the bench.