Indian-origin cricketers shine for other nations in T20 World Cup

Forty players of Indian origin are representing other nations across the 20 teams in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 (co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

Many of these players had early careers or aspirations in India's domestic setup (Ranji Trophy, age-group, or IPL fringes) but couldn't break into the senior national team due to intense competition, limited opportunities, selectors' preferences, or personal/family reasons.

They relocated for studies, jobs, family, or a fresh start—and now compete against India. One of the most striking stories of this tournament belongs to Harmeet Singh.

The Mumbai-born left-arm spinner was part of India’s victorious U-19 World Cup squad in 2012, played IPL matches, and turned out for Mumbai and Tripura in domestic cricket. But his path hit major roadblocks — including being questioned and investigated by the BCCI in connection with the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.

In May–June 2013, the Delhi Police arrested several players and bookies as part of a major IPL spot-fixing probe. Harmeet Singh’s name surfaced in the investigation after police claimed they had intercepted conversations between him and alleged bookie Chandresh Patel (also known as Chandresh Choksi).

Reports at the time alleged that Harmeet had been approached to underperform in specific matches or overs during the IPL season. Harmeet was detained and questioned by the police in Mumbai in June 2013.

He consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintained that he had only spoken to the individual in question without agreeing to any fixing, and was never formally charged or found guilty in any court or by the BCCI. The BCCI eventually cleared him after their internal inquiry, but the public allegations and the prolonged scrutiny severely damaged his reputation and stalled his progress in Indian cricket.

Another setback came in February 2017 when he was arrested/detained by Mumbai Railway Police after accidentally driving his car onto the Andheri station platform in the early hours while searching for parking (he paid a ₹7,000 fine and was released after the chaos settled).

Combined with limited domestic opportunities, these events eventually led him to leave India and restart his career in the United States around 2020–21.

Fast forward to the 2026 T20 World Cup opener at Wankhede Stadium — Harmeet walked out to bowl against the country he grew up idolising. In a spell that sent shockwaves through the stadium, he returned figures of 2/26 and picked up the prized wickets of Hardik Pandya (caught for 5) and Axar Patel (caught for 14), leaving India in serious trouble at one stage.

It was a powerful, emotional redemption moment — the boy who once couldn’t break through in Mumbai and whose name had been dragged through match-fixing allegations (from which he was cleared) was now troubling India’s middle order on the biggest stage, right at his childhood home ground.

Harmeet Singh is not the only one.

This World Cup features around 40 players of Indian origin turning out for other nations — many carrying similar tales of near-misses, heartbreak, relocation, and remarkable second chances.

They are proving that India’s incredible depth of talent is so vast that even those who couldn’t make the final cut are now good enough to compete at the highest level against the very team they once hoped to represent.

Here are some of the most prominent examples:

USA

Saurabh Netravalkar: Mumbai-born India U-19 star (leading wicket-taker in 2010 World Cup), Mumbai Ranji player. Moved to the US in 2015 for a Master’s degree while working full-time as a software engineer at Oracle. Became a USA legend after dismissing Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli in 2024 and now returned to bowl at his boyhood Wankhede in 2026.

Monank Patel (captain): Gujarat U-19 teammate of Axar Patel and shared age-group dressing rooms with young Jasprit Bumrah. The family moved to the US; he followed and is now captaining the USA against his early teammates.

Shubham Ranjane: Grandson of former India Test player Vasant Ranjane. Played IPL (RR) and domestic cricket before opportunities dried up. Moved to the US, dominated Minor League Cricket, and top-scored (37) against India in 2026.

Canada (largest Indian-origin contingent — 11 players)

Dilpreet Bajwa (captain): A Punjab domestic player who faced repeated rejections. Moved to Canada in 2020 “out of frustration” and is now leading the side back in India.

Mayank (Chandigarh roots): A trainee under legendary coach Yograj Singh (father of Yuvraj Singh) at his academy in the Chandigarh/Panchkula region. Mayank showed promise in local and age-group cricket but grew increasingly frustrated with repeated non-selections and lack of breakthroughs in the highly competitive Punjab/Haryana domestic circuits. Disillusioned by the politics and limited opportunities, he eventually relocated to Canada, where he rebuilt his career through local leagues and earned a spot in the national setup — now representing Canada in the World Cup on Indian soil.

Other standout stories:

Jaspreet Singh (Italy): Phagwara-born, moved to Italy as a teenager. Rose from tape-ball street cricket to bowling 140+ kph while driving Uber and working odd jobs — now living his dream of World Cup cricket in India.

Jatinder Singh (Oman captain): Ludhiana-born, family moved to Oman in 2003. Became Oman’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer and is captaining his adopted country in familiar conditions.