India’s strong 30-run win against South Africa in their only warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 raised concerns. Harshit Rana, the defending champion, suffered an injury scare only days before the start of his title defence. The 24-year-old was forced to leave the pitch after displaying obvious discomfort while bowling.
Warm-up exercise in the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai was meant to match the combinations. The Men in Blue registered 240 runs in 20 overs and appeared to be splendid in every department. Nevertheless, the squad already had injuries to deal with, with the most influential one being all-rounder Washington Sundar, Rana was only worsening the existing fitness concerns of the team management.
Rana’s injury became obvious during South Africa’s pursuit. The Delhi pacer delivered the first over of his spell but struggled to establish a rhythm. He got out of his run-up twice while trying to deliver his second over. Moments later, Rana was seen gripping his knee in pain before staggering off the field.
BCCI Yet to Clarify Harshit Rana’s Knee Issue
Rana only bowled one over which gave him 16 runs. The severity of the injury is not known, but the fact that he walked out of the field was an issue. The Board of Control of Cricket in India is yet to give a formal report on the extent of the knee injury and his fitness to play the first matches.
Having had 9 T20I matches, the right arm bowler was expected to vie with a playing XI spot perhaps with Kuldeep Yadav, depending on the conditions. This is an issue of concern to India considering the chronic exercise problems of Washington Sundar.
The all-rounder had not taken any action since injuring his ribs during the series of ODIs against New Zealand and was still at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he was being assessed in terms of workload. As Tilak Varma is now fully fit and took part in warm-ups, Sundar and Rana problems are putting the team on the medical bench.
