Studies on combining ability and gene action of five basmati cytoplasmic genic male sterile lines (CMS) and novel nine Egyptian basmati restorer lines (testers) were carried out using line x tester (L x T) analysis for some agronomic, yield and its component characters to get useful information for the basmati hybrid rice breeding program in Egypt. Analysis of variance for combining ability revealed significant differences among the basmati CMS lines and the novel Egyptian basmati restorers (testers) for all studied characters studied, except filled grains panicle-1 for CMS lines. Highly significant mean squares (MS) of all studied traits for L x T (SCA), indicated that they interacted and produced markedly different combing ability effects and this might be due to wide genetic diversity of basmati CMS lines and the novel basmati restorer lines. The expected MS values of GCA of basmati male testers were higher than female basmati (CMS) lines for all agronomic and yield characters, except plant height, spikelet fertility % and grain yield t ha-1 indicating that the influence of male parent is higher than that female parent. The ratio of K2gcax K2sca was higher than unity for plant height, panicle length, spikelets panicle-1, filled grains panicle-1, spikelet fertility% and 1000-grain weight, indicating that the additive gene action is playing high role in the inheritance of these traits. On the contrary the ratio of K2gcax K2sca was less than unity for days to maturity, panicles plant-1 and grain yield characters, indicating that the non-additive gene action is playing big role in the inheritance of these traits. Among the five basmati CMS and nine basmati restorer lines, the female basmati CMS lines, Sakha Basmati 12A, Sakha Basmati 13A and Sakha Basmati 14A and the male Egyptian basmati restorer lines, EBR30, EBR25, EBR24, EBR3 and Giza Basmati 201 were identified as the best general combiners for grain yield and most of studied traits. Among the 45 basmati hybrid rice combinations studied, the hybrids IR58025A x EBR10, Sakha Basmati 11A x Giza Basmati 201, Sakha Basmati 12A x EBR1, Sakha Basmati 12A x EBR17, Sakha Basmati 13A x EBR2 and Sakha Basmati 14A x EBR2 had the best SCA effects for most of yield and yield component characters.