Washington Sundar is currently injured and may not be fit in time for the T20 World Cup. Here are six players who could replace him for the ICC event.
Washington picked up a side strain during the first ODI against New Zealand and was subsequently ruled out of the ODI and T20I series. Ayush Badoni then received his maiden India call-up, being named as his replacement for the 50-over leg, while leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was brought in for the T20I series.
There is a possibility that the off-spinning all-rounder will not make it to the T20 World Cup, starting on February 7. Here are six players – including some left-field picks – who could replace Sundar in the T20 World Cup squad.
Riyan Parag
Parag is perhaps the most attractive replacement for Sundar. The batting all-rounder is reportedly nearing full fitness, having recovered from a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. His recent form, however, wasn’t great, with scores of 5, 15, 14, 0, 5 and 14 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he didn’t bowl at all, before a relapse of his shoulder injury.
But he was among the first all-rounders that the Gautam Gambhir-led team management invested in, and if not for a shoulder injury, which forced him to undergo surgery in late 2024, he could have been in or around both of India’s white-ball teams.
Parag isn’t really a bowling all-rounder like Sundar, and is not a floater in the batting order as well. He prefers to bat in the top four or five, where the management seemingly have many options – this could be what sends them in another direction.
Ayush Badoni
Badoni was a rough like-for-like replacement for Sundar in the ODI series against New Zealand. He bowls off-spin and bats in the top six, allowing the team to retain their structure without much chopping and changing. But his List A numbers don't stack up as well as his first-class and T20 figures.
He has scored 1788 runs in 96 T20 matches at a strike-rate of 137.96, while also picking up 17 wickets at 25.88 each. Badoni also played under Gambhir at Lucknow Super Giants, which could work in his favour should the need to replace Sundar arise.
Shahbaz Ahmed
The first of three left-arm spinners on the list, Shahbaz Ahmed was recently called up to the Indian T20I side as a replacement for Axar Patel for the last two games of the South Africa series. He didn’t feature in the series at all and doesn’t look like he's in the thick of things, with Bishnoi called up for the five games against New Zealand.
Shahbaz’s 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy returns for Bengal also don’t paint a great picture, with just 60 runs and four wickets in five innings. Another big question is whether the management would want to have another left-arm finger spinner in the side alongside Axar.
Vipraj Nigam
The leg-spinning all-rounder had a brilliant debut IPL season for the Delhi Capitals in 2025. He picked up 11 wickets and also scored 142 runs from lower down the order at a healthy strike-rate of nearly 180.
Though he didn’t have a great SMAT for Uttar Pradesh with the bat, he was their top wicket-taker with 13 scalps at 15.84 each and an economy rate of 7.35. Nigam was named in the India A squad for the three-match unofficial ODI series against Australia, but played just one game, where he scored 24 off 32 and went wicketless in six overs.
Harsh Dubey
Vidarbha’s left-arm spinning all-rounder, Harsh Dubey was given a consistent run in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025, where he played all five matches for India A. He didn’t disappoint by any stretch, scoring 75 runs in three innings, and picking up four wickets while leaking runs at just 6.33 per over.
Dubey also impressed for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the few chances he got in IPL 2025, taking five wickets in three games at 19.6 apiece. While not influential with the bat in SMAT this season, he picked up eight wickets for Vidarbha at 20.6 and an economy of 6.34.
However, picking him up directly to play the World Cup could be a step too far. Perhaps giving him a go in the New Zealand series would have more sense if he was in the management’s plans.
Anukul Roy
Jharkhand’s Anukul Roy had a great SMAT 2025 season, named the Player of the Series after scoring 303 runs in 11 games at a strike-rate of 160.31, and picking up 18 wickets at 15.38 each and an economy rate of 7.41. He had a strong VHT season as well, hitting three half-centuries in seven outings.
But like the other two left-arm finger spinners on the list, it is unlikely that the management would look towards him, considering Axar is the new vice-captain of the T20I side and is certain to feature regularly.
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