3 players who can replace Washington Sundar in India squad for T20 World Cup 2026

The T20 World Cup 2026 is just a few days away.  All the teams participating in the World Cup, including defending champions India, are preparing for it. Team India is currently busy with a five-match T20 series against New Zealand. However, the Indian team is also facing problems due to injuries to some players. After Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar, vice-captain Axar Patel has also joined the list of injured players. Recently, Tilak Varma shared a video on his Instagram where he is seen working hard in the gym. 

However, there has been no update on Axar Patel and Washington Sundar so far. According to some reports, Axar Patel might miss the second T20 match. However, there is no concrete update on Washington Sundar yet. Sundar suffered an injury in the third ODI against the Kiwi team, after which he was ruled out of the entire ongoing T20 series, and according to some reports, he might even be ruled out of the World Cup. However, if Sundar does not recover from his injury, then who will replace him in the World Cup squad?  In this article, we’re going to explore 3 potential replacements for Washington Sundar for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. 

1. Ravi Bishnoi

At the moment, when Washington Sundar was injured, Ravi Bishnoi was added to the India squad for the India vs. New Zealand T20I series. He was sitting on the bench during the first T20I. His inclusion in the T20I squad indicates that if Sundar were ruled out of the World Cup, then Bishnoi would be included in the squad. He also took 9 wickets in 7 matches, with an economy rate of 8.72 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. 

Ravi Bishnoi had become one of the most important spinners in the T20 team at one point, even reaching the number one ranking in the ICC rankings, but he remained out of the team for a long time. His re-selection after Sundar's injury indicates that the management might consider him as a replacement for Sundar in the World Cup.

2. Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya played his last international match for India in July 2021. After this, he is still waiting for his return to the international setup. He performed very well in IPL 2025, where he took 17 wickets in 15 matches, at an economy of 8.23. However, he didn’t perform well in the SMAT 2025, where he could manage only to score 63 runs and take only 2 wickets. But following this, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26, he scored 321 runs and took 6 wickets. He has the potential to fill Sundar's shoes effectively. His recent form has been excellent, and he might be picked as a replacement for Sundar in the World Cup Squad.

3. Shabaz Ahmed

Shahbaz Ahmed has already played 2 T20 matches for India in the 2023 Asian Games. He took 2 wickets but didn’t get the opportunity to bat. Recently, when Axar Patel was injured during the T20I series against South Africa, he got another call from the national team. Recently, he performed excellently in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025, where he scored 390 runs, including 1 century & 3 half-centuries, while he took 6 wickets with the ball. In SMAT 2025, his cricket score was 60, and he took 4 wickets in 5 matches. 
Shahbaz Ahmed has caught the attention of the selectors with his performance, and he too could be included in the T20 World Cup squad.