Siraj is unlucky.. South African star AB Devilliers

Former South African great AB de Villiers has expressed disappointment over Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj missing out on the T20 World Cup 2026 squad. He described the decision as unfortunate and felt that the selectors focused more on team balance than individual form or quality.

While Siraj retained his place in the ODI squad, he was overlooked for the T20 setup. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh were preferred, while Harshit Rana earned selection due to his ability to contribute with the bat as well. De Villiers pointed out that modern T20 teams value all-round balance, giving importance to spinners and batting depth alongside pace bowling.

Siraj last played a T20 international in July 2024. Despite missing out on the T20 squad, he is set to feature in the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand starting January 11. De Villiers and Siraj previously played together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.