India suffer major blow as key player ruled out of New Zealand T20Is

India have suffered an early setback in their build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to run from January 21 to 31.

The series forms a crucial part of India’s preparations for the global event, which gets underway on February 7, but Sundar will play no part after picking up a side strain during the opening ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara last week.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) termed the issue as an “acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib”.

At this stage, there is no clarity on whether the injury could threaten Sundar’s availability for the T20 World Cup, where India will begin their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on the opening day of the tournament.

In response to Sundar’s absence, the selectors have drafted in Delhi batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni as a replacement for the remainder of the ODI series.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

However, the BCCI has yet to confirm whether Badoni will also be added to the T20I squad for the New Zealand series.

Despite the setback, India are not expected to be overly concerned about the all-rounder’s unavailability for the T20Is, with several key players set to link up with the squad in the coming days.

Hardik Pandya, vice-captain Axar Patel, Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube are all expected to bolster the group as India fine-tune combinations ahead of the World Cup.

India will also be without Tilak Varma for the opening three T20Is, with the young batter continuing his recovery after undergoing groin surgery.

The absence of Washington Sundar and Varma will test India’s squad depth, but the management is likely to view the series as an opportunity to assess alternatives before finalising their plans for the T20 World Cup.

India squad for New Zealand T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (unavailable for first three matches), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper).

READ: Carlos Alcaraz completing Grand Slam at 22 would be ‘crazy’: Roger Federer