India are all set to commence their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against the United States of America. The two sides will lock horns on Saturday, February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The Men in Blue had a productive outing in the warmup game against South Africa but recently had to make a change. Mohammed Siraj has replaced Harshit Rana in the squad, with the latter suffering a knee injury.

India’s squad for the T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar.

On that note, here is India’s predicted playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026 game against the USA.

Openers: Ishan Kishan (wk) and Abhishek Sharma

Sanju Samson’s poor form has clearly cost him his place in the side, with Ishan Kishan all set to open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. The duo form a fearsome pair who can seal the game inside the powerplay.

Middle Order: Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya

Tilak Varma got through two warmup matches without any issues and seems set to reclaim his place at No. 3, with captain Suryakumar Yadav likely to feature at No. 4. The rest of the middle order is straightforward to pick as Washington Sundar continues his recovery from a side strain.

Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube will be the all-rounders, while Rinku Singh will serve as the specialist finisher.

Lower Order: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy

Jasprit Bumrah reportedly didn’t train on the eve of the match due to illness. If he doesn’t recover in time, Mohammed Siraj could be a like-for-like replacement. Arshdeep Singh, meanwhile, will be a lock in the bowling department.

Varun Chakaravarthy will be the lead spinner, pushing Kuldeep Yadav to the bench.