After hosting matches in Cuttack and Mullanpur, the IND vs SA T20I series moves further up north as the third T20I will be played in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.

The backdrop of the scenic Himalayan mountain range at the HPCA Stadium will enchant the players while the teams aim to take a 2-1 lead in the series that currently stands leveled at 1-1 after two clashes.

India claimed the first T20I by a whopping 101 runs before Aiden Markram’s side bounced back with a 51-run victory in the second T20I. That was India’s only fourth T20I defeat in 2025 to go with 14 victories in the format this year.

The challenge for India in Dharamsala has been exacerbated by the absence of their premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, and all-rounder Axar Patel.

IND vs SA: Why Is Jasprit Bumrah Not Playing Today In 3rd T20I In Dharamsala?

Jasprit Bumrah missed the third T20I against South Africa due to a family emergency. The BCCI confirmed that Bumrah, who was seen training in the nets on Saturday, has returned to his home in Ahmedabad.

India vs South Africa: Why Is Axar Patel Not Playing Today In 3rd T20I In Dharamsala?

At the toss, captain Suryakumar Yadav said that Bumrah is unavailable for today’s match “due to personal reasons,” and Axar is unwell.

The BCCI released a statement saying, “Axar Patel is unavailable for the third T20I due to illness. Jasprit Bumrah has gone back home for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the game. An update on him joining the squad for the remaining matches will be provided in due course.”

Axar and Bumrah were replaced by Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana in the XI for the Dharamsala T20I.

Interestingly, South Africa also made three changes to their playing XI that won the second T20I in Mullanpur: David Miller, George Linde, and Lutho Sipamla were benched, and they were replaced by Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, and Tristan Stubbs.

Suryakumar won the toss and elected to bowl first.

India vs South Africa 3rd T20I Playing XIs:

South Africa: Cock (wk), Corbin Bosch, Aiden Markram (c), Donovan Ferreira, Hendricks Resolution, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Anrich North, Stubbs’ Tristan, Holy Light, Ottneil Baartman

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Shubman Gill, Harshit Rana, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy

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