India’s fast bowler, Harshit Rana, has underwent a surgery for the knee injury on February 09 which he picked up during the warm-up clash against South Africa at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai during the T20 World Cup 2026 and wasn’t ruled out for the entire tournament, which has been major setback for the upcoming 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Harshit Rana was ruled out of the event on the eve of India’s opening fixture against the United States of America (USA), which saw the blue brigade bring Mohammad Siraj into the eleven. The Hyderabad-born was in excellent touch for the game and picked up three wickets to decrease the concern for the national side.

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“Rana’s surgery was performed by Dinshaw Pardiwalla at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was advised to undergo surgical repair of the lateral meniscus. Following surgery and a period of rest, he will begin rehabilitation and report to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.” The reports of the Times of India (TOI) have added to the fitness of Rana.

Harshit Rana likely to miss major portion of IPL 2026

Rana has made himself a vital member of India’s T20I campaign with nine wickets in eight innings at an average of 33 and an economy rate of 10.60. However, he has the knack of picking vital wickets in the powerplay and the middle overs of the innings. Moreover, he has batted well at times when the team has required.

In the previous season of the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the right-arm pacer picked up 15 wickets in 13 innings at an economy rate of 10.18. When they won the title in 2024, Rana contributed with 19 wickets in 11 innings at an economy rate of just over nine.

Kolkata will hope to get Rana back for the second half of the season to accommodate Matheesha Pathirana in the side. It’s noteworthy that they have yet to name the replacement of Mustafizur Rahman, who has been banned from the next season of the league by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

India’s pacer, Harshit Rana, has been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, as the selection committee is likely to name a replacement on the evening of February 06, as the reports have claimed. India is scheduled to open their campaign against the United States of America (USA) on February 07 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The team management was informed of the injury to the pacer on February 05 evening. Even though India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, revealed that the ace all-rounder wasn’t ruled out yet of the event, it’s nearly confirmed that the fast bowler won’t be fit to participate in the World Cup.

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“It’s a big blow because of the combination we make, keeping in mind 15 players. If he misses out, we will definitely miss him. We have enough options. We shall look at the replacements of fast bowlers who are there. We shall pick the best one. I know there is the case of someone batting at no 9 like Harshit, but having said that, the first 8 batsmen will do what then?! They have to bat.” Suryakumar Yadav expressed on the eve of their opening clash.

Mohammad Siraj and Nitish Reddy likely to be named replacements

Harshit was forced to leave the field during India’s warm-up contest against South Africa as he didn’t look to be in full rhythm for the contest. His discomfort was confirmed when he was unable to complete his run-up, pulling out of his delivery stride on a couple of occasions within that six-ball over.

Siraj, who has picked up 14 wickets in 16 T20Is for the national side, having played his last T20I two years ago against Sri Lanka in July, is expected to make the cut. He was in good touch with the white-ball during the SMAT 2025/26 for Hyderabad.

That’s the same case with Washington Sundar, who is running out of time to be fully fit for the World Cup 2026. In the event of his potential news of being ruled out, India may use Nitish Reddy as the replacement. Reddy has featured in only four T20Is and smashed 90 runs at a strike rate of 180.

Even though India wrapped up another strong victory in the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up fixture against South Africa at the DR DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, they face another major injury setback ahead of their opening fixture against the United States of America (USA) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The team welcomed the return of southpaw Tilak Varma into the side after a month-long injury break. The Men in Blue were left with another such threat as pacer Harshit Rana suffered concerns during the fixture against the Rainbow Nation. Rana was forced to leave the pitch due to a physical injury during their 240-run defense in the allotted 20 overs.

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The Delhi fast bowler’s discomfort became apparent when he was unable to complete his rhythm and was pulling out of his delivery stride on two separate occasions within a single over. He was soon seen to be clutching his knee in distress before hobbling off the field, having bowled only a solitary over in which he conceded 16 runs.

India concerned about Harshit Rana’s injury ahead of T20 WC 2026

Rana has overall featured in eight T20I innings, where he has collected nine wickets at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 18.6. However, he has held an expensive economy rate of 10.60, with the best bowling figures of 3/33 in an innings. In 44 innings of T20s, he bagged 52 wickets at an economy rate of 27.05.

The last two seasons of Rana were strong for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In 2025, he picked up 15 wickets in 13 innings at an average of 29.86 and an economy rate of 10.18, while in 2024, when they won the title, the right-arm pacer earned 19 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 20.15.

India posted a massive score of 240/6, thanks to Ishan Kishan’s retired out 53 runs in 20 balls, thanks to a couple of boundaries and seven sixes at a strike rate of 265. In reply, South Africa were restricted to 210/6 in their allotted 20 overs, losing the contest by 30 runs.

Brief Scores: India 240/6 (Ishan Kishan 53, Tilak Varma 45, Marco Jansen 1/18) beat South Africa 210/7 (Tristan Stubbs 45*, Abhishek Sharma 2/32) by 30 runs.

Star Indian pacer Harshit Rana grabbed attention away from cricket after posting photos with his new Lamborghini on Instagram. He shared the pictures just days before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The tournament will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Before reporting to the team in Mumbai on February 3, the Delhi pacer enjoyed some free time.

The 24-year-old looked calm and happy in the photos, showing fans a glimpse of his life outside the game. He captioned the post, “From screensaver to street.”

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A post shared by RANA (@harshit_rana_06)

Harshit Rana made his T20I debut in January 2025 and has become an important part of India’s white-ball team. He has been picked in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, which will be played in India.

The World Cup is a big chance for the Delhi fast bowler to fix his place in the national team and help India defend the title.

Since his debut in 2024, Rana has shown good pace and the ability to take wickets. Even though he faced trolling on social media, he continued to perform well.

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Parthiv Patel leaves Harshit Rana out of his XI

Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel surprised many by leaving Harshit Rana out of his playing XI for the World Cup. He said he would start with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh as his main fast bowlers.

Parthiv said his team for the first match would include Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan as openers, followed by Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. He also named Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, and Axar Patel in the middle order.

For bowling, he picked Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

India will play their first match of the tournament against the USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium.

We are in the business end of the five-match India vs New Zealand T20I series as Thiruvananthapuram is hosting the last fixture of the series on Saturday night (January 31). It is the last official game for both teams before the beginning of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which is just seven days away. 

Leading the series by 3-1, the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to bat first, as the hosts want to challenge themselves in the dew factor. Both India and New Zealand made several changes for the match, as both teams want to check the team depth in the last moment before the T20 World Cup.

Watch: Crowd’s reaction goes viral when Suryakaumar Yadav confirms Sanju Samson is playing IND vs NZ 5th T20I

IND vs NZ 5th T20I: Why are Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana and Ravi Bishnoi not playing?

For this fixture, Indian pacer Harshit Rana, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and the leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi have been benched. The all-rounder Axar Patel and the left-handed batter Ishan Kishan have returned from their injuries, the leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, the no.1-ranked T20I bowler, has returned to the playing XI to get more game time.  

No fresh injury news for India

There is no fresh injury news in the Indian camp. So, the Indian cricket fans don't need to fear the changes. Rather than the changes that happened to provide some more game time, especially for two players (Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan) who have returned after recovering from injuries, which is good news for the Indian cricket team. 

Just before the start of the third T20I of the five-match series between India and New Zealand at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Harshit Rana and Devon Conway shared a friendly pat and chat between them, with the former dismissing him four times in the series, including thrice in the ODI leg. 

And it suddenly became five times on the third ball of the first over. The southpaw used his feet to move leg side and take the aerial route against Rana to beat the mid-on fielder. But he failed to get the right elevation as Hardik Pandya jumped at the right time to grab a fine catch in the air to send the left-handed opening batter back in the hut.

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Conway has now managed only 19 runs in five innings of 27 deliveries against Rana at an average of 3.80. His false shot percentage goes up to 28.5 in the face-off, as the left-handed batter averages 0.5 with two dismissals for one run against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler.

Harshit Rana dismisses Devon Conway for fifth time in this tour

In the absence of Arshdeep Singh, who was given a break for the contest along with Varun Chakravarthy ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 to keep them fresh in the bowling department, Hardik Pandya shared the new ball from the other end, and he earned the success with the wicket of Rachin Ravindra.

Watch the video here: 

Harshit Rana sticks to his routine and dismisses Devon Conway for the 5th time this tour, capped off by a stunning catch from Hardik Pandya 👏#INDvNZ, 3rd T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/YLbfrU7NU6 pic.twitter.com/evHWtQsJRr

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 25, 2026

Ravindra took the short ball on with a pull shot and picked the lone man in the deep on the leg side, where Ravi Bishnoi went forward and moved to his left in the process at the deep square leg. New Zealand found themselves under tremendous pressure, two down in two overs with 17 runs on the board.

New Zealand lost the toss and had to field first in the game, where dew would play a massive role late in the fixture. They decided to make only one change by bringing Kyle Jamieson into the eleven in place of Zakary Foulkes.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 33/2 (Glenn Phillips 17*, Harshit Rana 1/15) vs India. 

Harshit Rana, who dismissed Devon Conway, in all three ODIs of the three-match series against New Zealand before the five match T20I series, marked his return to the playing 11 of the 20-over format, during the second clash against the opponent at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur as the management decided to give a break to their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah.

It continued to the opening T20 game as Rana dismissed Conway for the fourth time in the white-ball series, as he also gave a send-off to the wicket-keeper left-handed opening batter as he made his way back to the dressing room. As of now, Conway has an average of 4.50 in eight runs of 25 balls against the Indian pacer in this tour.

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On the second wall of the fourth over of the innings, Conway did not spot the slower delivery from Rana as he was deceived by the pace and went for the shot early. He too ended the ball towards mid-off, where Hardik Pandya moved to his right and made a juggling catch comfortably.

Harshit Rana taunts Devon Conway in Raipur T20I

New Zealand, who are down by a 0-1 margin in the second T20I of the series, followed the approach of the Indian side and kept on going against the bowlers from the start despite losing wickets at regular intervals.

Watch the video here: 

Harshit Rana strikes in the very first over! 💣

A timely wicket from #HarshitRana shifts the momentum in India’s favour as he dismisses Devon Conway for the 4th time on this tour.💪🏻#INDvNZ, 2nd T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/Be1n2FWbLQ pic.twitter.com/KTWtsCdy6b

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 23, 2026

Ratin Ravindra contributed 44 runs at number three in just twenty-six deliveries at a strike rate of 170, thanks to a couple of boundaries and four sixes, while the rest of the batter also batted at a strike rate of over 150. But, they needed someone to flourish in the late batting order, as it was provided by their captain, Mitchell Santner, who remained unbeaten on 47 runs in 27 balls.

The 47-run partnership in 19 balls for the seventh wicket carried the Black Caps to over 200-run mark as they finished with 208 for the loss of six wickets in their allotted twenty overs of the first innings.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 208/6 (Mitchell Santner 47*, Rachin Ravindra 44, Kuldeep Yadav 2/35) vs India.

Ravindra Jadeja took an excellent catch as Harshit Rana broke an important 53-run partnership in the third ODI between India and New Zealand. Jadeja dived to his right to dismiss Will Young for 30. New Zealand lost their third wicket at a score of 58.

The dismissal happened in the 13th over of New Zealand’s innings. Harshit Rana bowled a short and wide ball outside the off stump. Will Young tried to play a cut shot towards point but failed to keep the ball low. Jadeja reacted quickly and caught the ball while diving to his right. The 37-year-old completed the catch with both hands before falling to the ground.

Earlier, India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl first in the third ODI. India made one change in their playing XI, with Arshdeep Singh coming in for Prasidh Krishna. New Zealand played the same team that won the second match. India won the first ODI, while New Zealand made a strong comeback in the second game.

Watch the video here:

pic.twitter.com/n2rEzyz0Qr

— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) January 18, 2026

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Jadeja Shines in the Field as India Gains Momentum

Owing to his great athletic ability and fitness, Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best fielders in the world. Earlier in the day, he almost pulled off a stunning catch, but Devon Conway survived on the third ball of the match.

Will Young was dismissed for 30 runs off 41 balls, which included five fours and one six. His wicket ended a 53-run partnership and gave Harshit Rana his second wicket of the innings. The Indian team celebrated the breakthrough with great energy, led by Virat Kohli, as the momentum shifted back in India’s favour.

Harshit Rana is now the joint-highest wicket-taker in the series along with Kyle Jamieson, after picking up his fifth wicket.

Also read -Watch: Daryl Mitchell celebrates successive century during IND vs NZ 3rd ODI in Indore

Daryl Mitchell Dominates in IND vs NZ 3rd ODI

In the IND vs NZ 3rd ODI on Sunday, Daryl Mitchell showed his excellent form by scoring his second century of the series. He played a calm and confident innings under pressure after New Zealand lost early wickets.

The right-handed batter added a massive 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Glenn Phillips. This stand shifted the momentum away from India and put New Zealand in a strong position. Mitchell scored 137 runs off 131 balls, including 15 fours and three sixes. He was finally dismissed after mistiming a shot off Mohammed Siraj, with Kuldeep Yadav taking a clean catch.

A steaming delivery from Harshit Rana knocked down the off-stump of Devon Conway in the second innings of the IND vs NZ 2nd ODI in Rajkot on Wednesday. With a little bit of seam movement and a pace around 136 km/h, he had done the job for Rana and Team India. Conway, the in-form New Zealand batter, headed back to the dressing room after scoring only 16 runs off 21 deliveries.

After winning the first of the three-match ODI series, India stepped into the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium with a 1-0 lead and tonnes of confidence. In the first innings of today's match, India went to bat first, as New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first.

According to the pitch report, there were visible cracks on the surface, but the track looked flat. Which makes the pitch suitable for batters. But India, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the openers, gained a rare slow start. For the first 4 overs, it was the Kiwi bowlers who were dominating over Gill and Sharma.

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India started to gain momentum as soon as the ball started to lose its shine. With captain Shubman Gill (56) remaining rock solid on one end, the host team was able to recover from the initial slow run rate. Coming to bat as the number 5 batter, KL Rahul stole the show with his elegant batting. Rahul remained unbeaten for 112 runs off 92 balls with eleven 4s and one 6, and India managed to register a respectable total of 284 in 50 overs.

Watch Devon Conway clean bowled on Harshit Rana's delivery

Hitman Harshit Rana proving that he's the MVP of Indian Cricket.
pic.twitter.com/Nbxk1VWoH5

— Abhishek (@vicharabhio) January 14, 2026

India needed a good start to protect the total on the flat surface. On the second delivery of the 6th over of the second innings, Harshit Rana provided his team the much-required breakthrough in the form of Conway. New Zealand lost their first batter for 22 runs on the scoreboard.

The veteran Indian batter and the current captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Ajinkya Rahane, has shed light on the mental side of Harshit Rana and his journey after the latter was trolled on social media platforms, as he revealed how the young fast bowler learned to deal with criticism and online trolling before producing a superb performance for India. 

Ajinkya Rahane felt that Rana was under the impact of trolls during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, particularly when the results didn’t go his way for the Knight Riders. Rahane, during an interaction on Cricbuzz, explained that he noticed a change in Rana’s body language and decided to address this matter in the competition. 

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“See, we actually spoke about social media when he was playing in the IPL last year. In certain matches, he did not do well, and I saw basically, a little nervous, a little sad. I was talking about it. It was bothering him.” Rahane said of Rana, who ended with two vital wickets of two New Zealand openers, Devon Conway and Henry Nicholas, to break the 117-run opening stand.

Ajinkya Rahane sheds light on Harshit Rana’s online trolls

Later coming into the chase at number seven, the right-handed batter contributed 29 runs in 23 balls at a strike rate of 126.09, thanks to two boundaries and one six, which helped to take the pressure off KL Rahul, who later completed the chase.

Watch the video here: 

pic.twitter.com/cjaEIgxJ8b

— Tom Banton (@adi_exe07) January 11, 2026

“He said that people are talking about me, but that actually motivates me. This is what he said. When I see all the comments, when I see what they are writing about me, they don’t know how hard I have worked in my bowling.” The KKR captain added.

“I have seen him using AirPods during practice sessions when he was bowling, just to cut out the noise. Initially, we wondered why he was doing that. Later, we realised he just wanted to shut everything out. When he bowls, he wants to stay in the zone and maintain the same intensity and mindset.” Rahane highlighted.

Brief Scores: India 306/6 (Virat Kohli 93, Shubman Gill 56, Kyle Jamieson 4/41) beat New Zealand 300/8 (Daryl Mitchell 84, Henry Nicholas 62, Mohammad Siraj 2/40) by four wickets.