India's predicted playing XI for semi-final vs England: Will Kuldeep Yadav play at Wankhede?

India and England meet each other at the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup for the third consecutive edition as both teams collide on Thursday, 5 March, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

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Both India and England are looking to make history with a record third T20 World Cup trophy in sight. The winner of this semi-final will meet New Zealand, who thrashed South Africa in the first last-four match, in the final.

India had lost to England in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup, but in the next edition in 2024, the Men in Blue exacted their revenge. Interestingly, both teams went on to win the title after defeating each other in the semi-finals. So, there is a lot riding on the contest.

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Will Kuldeep Yadav play?

All 15 players of the Indian squad have got a chance to play in at least one game in this tournament, but India have stayed with the same Playing XI for their last two matches, which included a do-or-die encounter against the West Indies.

The biggest question for the team management with regard to the combination will be whether to add an extra spin option or not. England have a well-known weakness against wrist spin and India would want to exploit that. The Wankhede Stadium pitch may also offer some help to spinners, as was the case when the West Indies defeated England at the venue.

Kuldeep Yadav, who is sitting on the bench, was India’s best bowler in the last semi-final against England in 2024. He picked up three wickets, including the key scalp of Harry Brook, who is currently in scintillating form.

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So, there will be a huge temptation on India’s part to bring back Kuldeep, who has only played against Pakistan so far in this tournament.

But who will he replace? There are two options India can take. One is to drop Varun Chakravarthy, who has not been in the best of form in the Super 8s. Arshdeep Singh, too, could be pushed to the bench if needed.

However, all of it will depend on conditions and pitch. If dew is expected, then bringing in an extra spinner would not be a good idea. At the same time, India would not want to tinker with a winning combination. So, it is hard to see Kuldeep coming back into the side unless it is a dry surface that will aid spin.

India Predicted Playing XI vs England

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy