Published on: Jun 9, 2026 5:29 pm IST|Updated on: Jun 9, 2026 5:29 pm IST
The Indian team selection committee has decided to rest right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj from the upcoming Ireland and England bilateral T20I tours. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee was quick to recalibrate the pace bowling resources by naming the tall, lanky Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna as Siraj’s replacement.
Initially named in both squads, Siraj’s exclusion isn’t due to an injury or poor form. Instead, the Hyderabad paceman has been rested to manage his workload. The protocol has been drawn up by the team’s medical professionals after the 32-year-old had a grueling IPL season playing for the Gujarat Titans.
Siraj featured in all 17 games played by the Titans in this IPL season. He ended up picking 19 wickets, and right after the final, he featured for Team India in the solitary Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, which India won by an innings and 300 runs. Recognizing the immense workload he has been going through recently, the selection panel has decided to rest him for the upcoming tours in Ireland and England. In an official media release, a BCCI spokesperson stated:
“Following discussions between the BCCI Medical Team and the Team Management, Siraj has been advised a period of rest as part of his workload management programme. The decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to ensure adequate recovery ahead of a long international season.”
The statement further confirmed the alternative plan:
“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Prasidh Krishna as Siraj’s replacement for both T20I series.”
For Prasidh Krishna, this call-up serves as an unexpected pathway back into India’s T20I setup. The 30-year-old is one of the regulars in India’s ODI setup but has featured only in a handful of T20Is so far. Prasidh has played 5 T20Is for India, picking up eight wickets at a high economy rate of 11. His last appearance for Team India in this format came back in November 2023 against Australia in Guwahati. This is eventually a second chance for Krishna despite some lean returns in his first five T20Is for Team India.
Prasidh’s inclusion was something unforeseen, but the bigger surprise was the exclusion of veteran swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Despite having two brilliant seasons on the trot for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 and 2026, the 36-year-old has been overlooked yet again by the selectors.
Bhuvi has scalped 45 wickets across the last two IPL seasons, the most by any bowler. He ended the recently concluded IPL 2026 as the second-highest wicket-taker with 28 scalps from 16 games, one behind the Purple Cap winner Kagiso Rabada, who picked up 29 wickets in 17 games, playing one extra match than Bhuvi. Despite his consistency and outrageous returns in the last two IPL seasons, the selection committee has been tight-lipped over his inclusion in the Indian white-ball squads.
Given that the upcoming series will be played in Ireland and England, where weather conditions heavily assist traditional swing bowling, many believed Bhuvneshwar was the most logical choice to replace Siraj. His ability to move the white ball both ways in cloudy English conditions could have given India an immense early advantage.
By picking the younger Prasidh Krishna, chief coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar are prioritizing raw pace and bounce over veteran swing, signaling that Bhuvneshwar’s chapter in the T20I setup has effectively closed.
Here is the updated 16-man squad of Team India led by new skipper Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England.
Shreyas Iyer (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav
Below is the full schedule of India’s T20I games against Ireland and England. Team India will play 2 T20Is against Ireland, followed by 5 T20Is against England.