Indian fast bowler Harshit Rana suffered an injury during the practice match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, February 4. Rana bowled only one over before limping off the field in pain and did not return to the field, which is bad news for the team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
BCCI has not released an official update yet, but fans are worried. If Rana’s injury is serious, he may miss the tournament, forcing India to look for a replacement. The selectors have some strong options who are currently in form and have performed well in domestic cricket and in recent tours.
Rana has played nine T20 matches so far, in which he has taken nine wickets at an average of 33.00 and an economy rate of 10.60. The 24-year-old played three matches for India in the five-match home T20I series against New Zealand, where he took two wickets at an average of 62.00 and a disappointing economy rate of 11.27.
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Harshit Rana replacement for T20 World Cup 2026: 3 cricketers in line for India selection
1.Famous Krishna
Prasidh Krishna may be the frontrunner to replace Harshit Rana. The Karnataka fast bowler offers a similar “hit-the-deck” profile, which is important for extracting bounce on hard surfaces.
He has been in sensational form over the last 12 months. Prasidh had a stellar performance in IPL 2025, where he took 25 wickets for Gujarat Titans and won the Purple Cap for his impressive performance.
His ability to consistently bowl at 145+ kmph pace makes him a natural replacement for Harshit Rana. He played his last T20 match for India in 2023 against Australia. This fast bowler has taken eight wickets in five matches at an average of 27.5 and an economy rate of 11.
2. Mohammad Siraj
If the management prefers experience over like-for-like replacements, Mohammed Siraj becomes the automatic choice. He was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team in 2024.
Siraj knows what it takes to perform in major tournaments. His ability to swing the new ball and bowl yorkers in the death overs makes him a strong option for high-pressure events. The right-arm fast bowler has taken 14 wickets in 16 T20Is at an average of 32.29 and an economy rate of 7.79.
3. Khalil Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed brings variety to the attack as a left-arm fast bowler, offering a different angle that can trouble the top-order batsmen. He is in good form at the moment, having recently taken two wickets for India A in a match against USA.
He was also named as a reserve player for the 2024 T20 World Cup. In IPL 2025, Khaleel took 15 wickets in 14 matches, often bowling difficult overs in the powerplay. Chennai Super Kings retained him for the 2026 season.
The left-arm fast bowler has played 18 T20Is for India, taking 16 wickets at an average of 35.13 and an economy rate of 8.52. He last played a T20 match against Sri Lanka in 2024.
