In potentially a massive blow to India, rising star Harshit Rana has reportedly been ruled out of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that gets underway from Saturday. Rana last bowled in the February 4 warm-up match against South Africa, where he bowled one over for 16 runs and went back holding his knee.
According to India Today, a medical assessment revealed ‘effusion, restricted movement and lateral joint line tenderness in his right knee’ and scans later confirmed a ‘lateral meniscus tear’. The report said that he consulted with Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala — who has worked with several cricketers, including Rishabh Pant — on February 6, Rana was advised to undergo surgical repair.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav spoke to the media on the same day. He rejected the claim that Rana was ‘ruled out’.
“Harshit Rana hasn’t been ruled out yet,” Suryakumar said. “Physios are assessing him, but he doesn’t look good… You make a squad thinking combinations, if he is unavailable, then we have enough players to make a new combination. If we miss him, we will definitely miss him. We will look at fast bowlers who can bat also, but no hard and fast rule.”
It’s a massive blow to India’s hopes of defending the title. Although Harshit’s not among the two frontline pacers for the team, he provided crucial balance as the number eight, giving the team significant depth.
