Prepare for an exciting cricket-filled summer! The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starts in June, kicking off with the USA versus Canada in Texas on June 1st. This year’s tournament is unique as it’s co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States, marking the first time matches are held in the US!
Before the main event, warm-up matches will run from May 27th to June 1st, spanning across the USA and Trinidad and Tobago. Cricket enthusiasts, remember to save the dates because this T20 World Cup is bound to be unforgettable!
The USA announced its squad earlier this month and it’s a squad with a unique flavor! It’s A wave of American cricketers with Indian roots is making a splash, led by the ever-reliable Monank Patel from Gujarat. The USA squad for the T20 World Cup seems like another team of Indian-origin players but with a twist, they aren’t batting for India but are part of the USA Squad.
Indian-Origin Players in the USA Squad
From Gujarat to Texas, Team USA’s Indian-Origin Cricketers Take the World Cup Stage. With most players of Indian origin, the team would also be led by the Indian Origin based captain Monank Patel, who would be seen taking the lead of the squad once again this season along with Vice-captain Aaron Jones, both the captain and the vice-captain have origins in Gujarat.
| Player | Role |
| Monank Patel (c) | Captain |
| Harmeet Singh | Bowler |
| Jessy Singh | Bowler |
| Milind Kumar | Batsman |
| Nisarg Patel | All-rounder |
| Noshtush Kenjige | Bowler |
| Saurabh Nethralvakar | Batsman |
1. Monank Patel (Captain)
Monank Patel born on May 1 1993 is a 31-year-old cricket player for the United States team. Patel, from Anand, is a wicketkeeper and bats right-handed. Born into a businessman family, monank started his cricket journey in the USA and has been batting as the top order batter since 2018.
T20 Career
In his 11 games so far, he’s scored a decent 305 runs, averaging around 28. And he ain’t shy about swinging for the fences either, with 35 fours and 9 sixes already. In their latest T20 match against Bangladesh this May, Patel chipped in with a solid 42 runs off just 38 balls, showing he can score even when the pressure’s on.
2. Harmeet Singh
Born in September 1992, Harmeet Singh is an Indian-based player who is currently part of the USA squad. Before moving to the USA, Harmeet played for India’s Under-19 cricket team in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. This slow left-arm orthotic bowler has also played for Mumbai and Tripura before playing minor league cricket in the United States and has also been part of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL Season.
T20 Career
Harmeet made his professional international debut in 2024 for USA on 7 April 2024, against Canada in a series in Canada, and was part of the squad for the T20 International. However, the cricketer has not been playing for too long and has bowled 19.4 overs conceding 125 runs and taking 6 wickets, and has a run rate of 19.67.
3. Jessy Singh
Originally born in Queens New York to Punjabi parents, Jessy is an Indian-origin player, right-handed batsman, and right-arm medium bowler who will be currently seen playing for USA Squad in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Jessy has been part of various domestic teams and franchises. And has started with the New Jersey representative side against Minnesota, where he scored a hat-trick for the league.
T20 Career
Singh debuted in the T20 cricket for the United States against the UAE on March 15, 2019. And the same following month he was named in the U.S. squad for the ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia. Also, Singh has played 9 matches since 2019 and has bowled 180 balls, including 2 maidens, conceding 290 runs and taking 12 wickets with an average of 24.17. His best bowling figures are 2/18, with an economy rate of 9.67 and a strike rate of 15.00.
4. Milind Kumar
Milind Kumar, an Indian professional cricketer who is a right-hand batsman and also an off-break bowler played for the domestic teams of Delhi and Sikkim. Besides domestic cricket, he has also been part of the IPL season 7 where he was sold to Delhi Daredevils, and has also played for the RCB Franchise.
T20 Career
Milind was named in the United States squad for their Twenty20 International (T20I) series against Canada
And debuted in the T20 format in the year 2024 with his first match on 7 April 2024. Having played only three matches as of now, Milind has played three matches and has a scoring rate of 71.43.
5. Nisarg Patel
Hailing from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, spin-bowling all-rounder Nisarg Patel will suit up for the USA in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Nisarg is an Indian-born American cricketer who bowls Left Arm Orthodox. And was added to the U.S. squad for the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Oman in November 2018
T20 Career
He made his T20I debut for the United States against Bermuda on August 18, 2019. and then further etched his name in the U.S. squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament in Antigua. As per the latest records, he has played 20 matches in the T20 Format and holds an economy rate of 5.54 and a strike rate of 14.89. He has contributed significantly to his team, taking 18.37% of the team’s total wickets.
6. Noshtush Kenjige
He is a 33-year-old left-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox bowler. Having been born in Auburn Alabama, he and his family moved back to Karnataka even before he turned one. He studied at a local school and has represented the school cricket team across different age categories and he was also involved in university cricket. He then moved to Virginia where he worked as a lab technician.
T20 Career
Noshtush made his T20 Debut while playing for USA in the year 2024, where he played his first match on 7th April against Canada. However, the cricketer hasn’t played many matches in the T20 format. With a bowling average of 20.75 and best bowling figures of 3/21. Patel has maintained an economy rate of 6.92 and a strike rate of 18.00.
7. Saurabh Nethralvakar
The Indian-origin cricketer who has captained the team USA, Saurabh is a left-arm medium-fast bowler who represented the India under-19 team while playing for India alongside KL Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mayank Agarwal. He also played domestic cricket and Ranji but due to a lack of opportunity in India and better opportunities in the US, he shifted to the USA.
T20 Career
Saurabh made his first T20 debut in the year 2019 when he played a match against UAE, the same year he became the United States captain in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), leading the team in a series against the UAE, which were the first T20I fixtures for the United States national team. Also, he has a record of being the first bowler for the United States to take a five-wicket haul in a T20I match against Singapore.
With an economy rate of 6.55 and a strike rate of 18.44, Saurabh has claimed 27 wickets in a total of 26 T20 matches he played.
This was all about the 7 Indian-Origin Cricketers Who will be playing for the USA and are part of USA SQUAD for the T20 World Cup 2024. These players, with their varied cricketing backgrounds, bring a unique touch to the squad. They represent both their heritage and the United States, adding to the team’s performance on the global stage.
It would be exciting to see them performing, so stay tuned as the T20 World Cup begins on 2 June 2024.
