IND vs NAM, T20 World Cup: Samson In, Bumrah Returns - India’s Likely Playing XI against Namibia

India face Namibia in their second T20 WC 2026 match with key changes: Sanju Samson may debut if Abhishek Sharma is unavailable due to illness, Jasprit Bumrah returns, Ishan Kishan recovers from a toe injury, and the team locks in its main spinner.

India Face Off Namibia in New Delhi

Team India will take on Namibia in their second Group A match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The Men in Blue are the defending champions of the tournament, having won the title in 2024 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.

Team India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, kicked off their quest for the title defence with a 29-run win over the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Suryakumar was not only a star performer for the Men in Blue but also a rescuer as his 84-run knock guided the hosts to a respectable total of 161/9 after a batting collapse before Indian bowlers restricted the USA to 132/7.

The Men in Blue will head into their second group stage match against Namibia to continue their winning momentum and secure a strong position in Group A. However, Team India will likely make a couple of changes in their playing XI from the opening match against the USA.

Sanju Samson to Make World Cup Debut

Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will likely make his World Cup debut if Abhishek Sharma gets ruled out of the match against Namibia. Abhishek suffered from a stomach infection and was immediately taken to the nearby hospital on the day the India squad arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday.

After being under medical observation for two days, Abhishek Sharma was discharged from the hospital, as confirmed by Tilak Varma at the press conference. However, the team management will take a final call on the availability of the left-handed maurauding opener on the day of the match. There is an unlikely chance of him featuring in India’s second outing at the T20 World Cup 2026, as management may not want to risk him ahead of the marquee fixture against Pakistan.

In this case, Sanju Samson will step in as the batter rather than the wicketkeeper-batter. Though he had an unforgettable T20I series against New Zealand, scoring just 46 runs at an average of 9.2 in five matches, Samson will look to make a strong impact on his World Cup debut.

Jasprit Bumrah Returns

Team India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is expected to make his return to the playing XI after he was ruled out of the USA Opener due to viral fever. In the absence of Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, who is injured Harshit Rana’s replacement, stepped in and made an impact with three wickets in India’s opening win over the USA, finishing with figures of 3/29.

As Bumrah is set to make his return to India playing XI, Siraj may have to make way for the lead pacer, as Team India management is expected to retain Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI. Though Mohammed Siraj performed well in India’s opening match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Bumrah’s return adds experience and control to India’s pace attack for the Namibia clash.

Since Arshdeep provides left-arm pace variation, he is likely to be retained, giving India a balanced pace attack with both right- and left-arm options.

Injury Scare Ahead of Namibia Match

On the eve of the Namibia match, Team India was dealt with a brief injury scare as Ishan Kishan sustained an injury on his toe after a yorker from Jasprit Bumrah during the nets session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. He was immediately attended by physios and briefly left the nets due to pain.

However, the southpaw returned to the nets to resume his training, offering relief to the team management ahead of the clash against Namibia. However, the incident has raised caution over his fitness ahead of the clash.

Ishan Kishan featured in India’s opening of the T20 World Cup 2026 as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma and scored 20 runs in the Men in Blue’s 29-run win over the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, January 7.

Varun Chakravarthy or Kuldeep Yadav?

Varun Chakravarthy was given a nod over Kuldeep Yadav as the spin-bowling specialist for India’s opening match against the USA, where he had a decent outing, registering the figures of 1/24 at an economy rate of 6.00 in 4 overs. Chakaravarthy was an obvious choice, given that he has been quite impressive since his return to the T20I setup in 2024, picking 57 wickets in 30 matches before the marquee event.

Tamil Nadu’s mystery spinner’s consistent performance in the T20Is resulted in Kuldeep Yadav missing out on his place in the playing XI for the USA Opener. While Kuldeep remains a strong option, Team India management is expected to stick with Varun Chakravarthy, as they may not want to change the bowling combination for the Namibia clash.

With the Pakistan clash coming up on February 15, Team India is likely to maintain a settled playing XI against Namibia, focusing on rhythm and balance.

India’s Likely Playing XI: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (VC), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.