Jasprit Bumrah Misses T20 World Cup Opener Against USA Due to Illness

Senior Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was unable to participate in the opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup against the United States due to illness. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed his absence in a statement released on February 7, 2026, noting that the BCCI medical team is monitoring his condition closely.

In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj was added to the playing XI. Siraj had recently been included in the 15-player squad following the injury of Harshit Rana, who sustained a knee injury during a warm-up match against South Africa on February 4 in Navi Mumbai. Siraj last played a T20 International for India in July 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.

The BCCI elaborated on Rana’s situation, stating, “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.”

Additionally, Sanju Samson was not selected for the opener, leading the team to opt for in-form Ishan Kishan as the primary wicket-keeper for the match. Kishan has shown promising form, having scored 53 runs in the warm-up game against South Africa and 103 runs as one drop in a prior T20 match against New Zealand in Trivandrum.

The match took place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where the USA won the toss and elected to bowl first. Kishan will open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma, setting the stage for an exciting tournament opener.

Here are the playing XIs for both teams:

• 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

The absence of Bumrah marks a significant blow for India as they commence their campaign in the global tournament. Fans and analysts alike will be eager to see how the team adjusts to this latest development.