3 Options Better Than Prasidh Krishna That BCCI Ignored For Mohammed Siraj's Replacement

Bhuvneshwar Kumar ignored despite RCB heroics [Source: AFP]

In a significant development, the BCCI announced that fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has been withdrawn from India's T20I squads for the upcoming series against Ireland and England. 

The decision was taken as part of Mohammed Siraj’s workload management programme. According to the BCCI, Siraj has been advised to take rest as a precautionary measure to ensure proper recovery ahead of a long international season. 

To fill the spot, Prasidh Krishna has been named his replacement for both T20I series.

“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 BCCI said in a release on Tuesday.

India will play two T20Is against Ireland in Belfast on June 26 and 28 before taking on England in a five-match T20I series from July 1 to July 11.

Having said this, let’s take a look at three bowlers who could have been considered ahead of Prasidh Krishna as Mohammed Siraj's replacement. Before that, here's a look at Prasidh Krishna's numbers in T20I cricket. 

Prasidh Krishna's numbers in T20Is

Prasidh Krishna has represented India in five T20Is so far. He has picked up eight wickets with a bowling average of 27.50. 

These numbers suggest that Prasidh Krishna has blown hot and cold with the ball in the shortest format. 

As evidenced by his economy rate, Krishna has mostly been taken to the cleaners, meaning the BCCI had the opportunity to pick a bowler better than him as a replacement for Siraj. 

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3 options better than Prasidh BCCI could've selected

1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

• One of the biggest names that could have been considered as Mohammed Siraj's replacement is veteran fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Despite being away from India's T20I setup since November 2022, Bhuvneshwar has continued to perform consistently in domestic and franchise cricket.

(Bhuvneshwar Kumar's Stats in IPL 2026)

• Over the years, Bhuvneshwar has been one of India's most dependable white-ball bowlers. In T20Is, he has played 87 matches and taken 90 wickets at an outstanding economy rate of 6.96.
• Bhuvneshwar's recent IPL performances have also been impressive. He picked up 17 wickets in IPL 2025 and played a crucial role in his team's title-winning campaign. In IPL 2026, he claimed 28 wickets in 16 innings at an economy rate of 7.95.

Anshul Kamboj

(Anshul Kamboj's Stats in IPL 2026)

•  Another interesting option as Mohammed Siraj's replacement for the Ireland and England T20I series could have been Anshul Kamboj. 
• Mohammed Siraj's biggest strength is his ability to strike early with the new ball.  Anshul Kamboj have similar qualities and could have been a useful option, especially in the English conditions. 
• The young pacer enjoyed a decent IPL 2026 season, taking 21 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 10.52. However, his campaign was not without challenges as he struggled in the latter half of the tournament, taking only 4 wickets in his final 5 matches.

Rasikh Salam

• Rasikh Salam was another bowler who could have been considered as Mohammed Siraj's replacement for the Ireland and England T20I series. 
• The young RCB bowler put up a string of remarkable performances in IPL 2026. After missing the first few matches of the season, he quickly became a vital player for the franchise in the bowling attack. 
• Acting as the third seamer alongside Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he delivered significant performances for RCB.
• Salam finished the season with 19 wickets at an average of 21.31 and an economy rate of 9.45. One of his standout performances came in the IPL 2026 final, where he produced match-winning figures of 3/27.
• What makes Rasikh Salam particularly valuable is his versatility. He can operate in the middle and at the death overs. India have often relied heavily on spinners during the middle phase of T20 matches, and Salam could provide an additional seam-bowling option.

India’s updated squad for Ireland and England T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna.

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