India have plenty of problems in the spin department. Image Credits: AFP
Do India actually have enough ready spinners, especially in T20Is? Despite having a vast pool of players and the biggest ten-team T20 competition, the Men in Blue seem light on spin resources at the moment.
The current ones have either lost their fizz or are going through a rut, while the upcoming ones have yet to fully develop before being deployed to the national team. There’s a reason India have finally opted for a specialist spin-bowling coach, Sairaj Bahutule.
India’s depleted spin-bowling resources
Let’s start with the current ones on the England tour. India have Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, and Varun Chakaravarthy as lead spinners.
Sundar is simply not good enough in the format and is never used heavily with the ball in both IPL and T20Is. On average, he has bowled only 11.77 balls per innings, snaring seven wickets at 49 runs apiece and an economy rate of 9.70 since 2025.
Also Read: Which Coach Is Leaving Team India? Finally Revealed
Teams don’t even see him as a matchup option at this stage, and Sundar just acts as a filler. Meanwhile, Varun is well past his prime, with more form and injury concerns than before.
Since the T20 World Cup 2026, the mystery spinner has been on and off with his returns, and his variations are no longer working. In this period, Varun has 26 wickets at an average of 27.65 and an economy rate of 9.10 across 22 T20 outings.
He did reasonably well in the IPL, particularly in the first half, but his international performances remain underwhelming. Combine that with his age and recent injuries, and India seem to be losing another prime spinner just when they need it the most.
Most Indian spinners are out of form
Ravi Bishnoi has simply not progressed enough after showing the initial promise. Even in the IPL, he’s not a certain starter, with Rajasthan Royals dropping him in as many as seven games this season.
Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had released him despite having retained him before the mega auction due to his underwhelming returns. Since 2025, Bishnoi has taken 37 wickets at an abysmal average of 30.40 and leaked 9.71 runs per over in 35 innings.
His over-reliance on googlies has made him highly predictable, with his proficiency against LHBs no longer the same. That India had to select him to replace Kuldeep Yadav itself shows how thin the resources are in the spin department.
Even Axar Patel has been in a collective decline, and while his batting seems to have taken a bigger hit, his bowling has also declined. The issue is that he doesn’t have enough wicket-taking options and can only bowl defensively.
Against LHBs and in the powerplay, there’s obvious regression, and Axar has become vulnerable. Still, he has a lot to offer and remains one of the better options in the setup.
The Kuldeep Yadav case
Kuldeep Yadav is just another spinner on the list, with signs of decline in recent times. He didn’t have a great IPL 2026, enduring his worst-ever season with the ball.
Kuldeep snared 10 wickets at an average of 38.10 and conceded 10.29 runs per over. Among all spinners with at least 20 overs this season, his economy was the second-worst, only after Harsh Dubey (10.36).
These numbers would have been even worse had he not taken three wickets in the final league game against KKR. His stock deliveries are no longer effective, as they went for 10.23 runs per over and produced only 25.18% false shots in IPL 2026.
The bigger problem is that Varun is declining, and India need Kuldeep Yadav to be the main wicket-taker now. Until Varun was delivering, he wasn’t required enough, for India could afford to leave out a genuine wrist spinner.
With him around, Kuldeep’s limited usage could be a reason behind his regression after showing encouraging signs last year. He hardly had enough opportunities with the national team, despite being in the squad almost every time, which must have hurt his confidence.
It’s clear now that teams can put Kuldeep Yadav under pressure by attacking him straight away. Most teams now have quality spin players, and he needs to reinvent himself immediately.
Who are the fringe and upcoming ones?
Unfortunately, India don’t have many options to draft into the national team immediately. There are a few spinners, but the immediate options are next to none.
At the moment, India need at least two more quality spinners to replace Sundar, Varun, and Bishnoi. They can bring in Krunal Pandya, who seems to be the only ready spinner at the moment.
He has become a T20 specialist with a range of variations and bowling smarts, which help him remain unpredictable. Even on flat IPL decks, Krunal found ways to be effective consistently with the ball, including in the slog overs.
Then there’s also ample batting value in the slog overs, since he can whack pace from the start. And he’s an LHB too.
They also have Harsh Dubey, who’s slowly establishing his credentials beyond red ball. While he was expensive this season, his defensive skills were encouraging, considering he bowled in the powerplay, and he can evolve further with more opportunities in this format.
The problem remains in the wrist-spin department, in particular. India have shown interest in Vipraj Nigam, taking him to the A tours and helping him gain exposure.
However, the issue is that Delhi Capitals (DC) haven’t shown enough trust in his bowling abilities, using him for just nine overs this season. So, his progress remains slow, and he still has a lot to work on before getting to the Indian team.
Among other spinners with decent attributes is Yash Raj Punja, who impressed in limited opportunities with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. He is a lanky pacer with a high-arm release, helping him generate extra bounce and hit higher on the bat.
Now this is a particular kind of skill set that might be mighty effective in Australia, where the next T20 World Cup will be played. However, Punja is still very raw and will need at least one full IPL season to press a case for tours with India A.
Fortunately for India, the next T20 World Cup is still more than two years away, and they can track his progress closely in the meantime. He will soon represent Karnataka in the domestic competitions, where the selectors will get ample evidence of his skill set.
The question, however, remains for the immediate future, where the options look bleak. India selected Bishnoi based on his previous experience with the national team, as they don’t have enough ready spinners.
In the previous game in Bristol, India were forced to play two finger spinners, with Bishnoi sitting out and Varun ruled out due to an injury. That meant they had a spinner with a limited wicket-taking value and the other who hardly contributes with the ball.
In the current series, India’s spinners have averaged an atrocious 81.33 and conceded 11.09 runs per over on decks that are not out-and-out flat. England spinners have outbowled them by a comfortable margin.
England spinners have outbowled Indian counterparts
It was always coming with Yuzvendra Chahal no longer the same spinner, and other candidates from the past, like Rahul Chahar and Mayank Markande, showing no signs of progress. And India never really tried more options in this format, restricting themselves to a limited set of players.
The flat IPL decks also played a role in limiting the spinners’ role, for they hardly had enough room to grow. Teams started using more and more pace in crunch overs, and spinners became a secondary option due to the ultra-aggressive batting in the Impact Player rule era.
For now, India would want Kuldeep and Varun to regain their form and do the work for at least one more year. Moreover, Sundar needs to go out, while Krunal should be drafted in at some stage.
Also Read: No Tilak Varma? India's Predicted Playing XI For 5th T20I Vs England 2026
.jpg?type=mq "T Dilip Likely To Join Mumbai Indians")
