Samson benched as Kishan opens; Bumrah out ill for India vs USA
Samson benched as Kishan opens; Bumrah out ill for India vs USA
India reshapes its World Cup lineup: Kishan to open, Bumrah ruled out with illness, Siraj comes in for a title clash with the USA in Mumbai.
India named a revised playing XI for their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the United States at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ishan Kishan will partner Abhishek Sharma at the top, Tilak Verma slots into the middle order, while Suryakumar Yadav will captain the side. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav were also left out of the XI alongside Sanju Samson, with Mohammed Siraj drafted in to replace the unwell Jasprit Bumrah.
We were looking to bat first. Wicket looks good, there is wind around so we don't expect dew, Yadav said after the toss.
Sanju Samson is out of the XI despite his recent runs; Kishan's form from the New Zealand series is cited. Batting at No. 3, Kishan scored a half-century and a century in NZ. He also opened in the warm-up against South Africa, finishing that game with 53 off 20 and even keeping wicket.
Apart from Samson, Bumrah was ruled out due to illness, with Mohammed Siraj coming into the XI. Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar were also left out. The India XI includes Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy.
USA captain Monank Patel won the toss and elected to bowl first, with teams lining up under clear skies and a lively Mumbai wicket ahead. It promises to be a watchful start to a long campaign for both sides.
