Who: India vs Zimbabwe
Content: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Location: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai, India
Date and time: Wednesday, February 26th, 7pm (13:30 GMT)
How to follow:
Defending champions India will face a tough battle in the T20 World Cup Super Eights after losing to South Africa, whom they defeated in the previous final.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The co-hosts of the tournament now face a challenge from another African team in Zimbabwe, who already have a track record of defying the odds in this tournament.
Al Jazeera Sports has detailed coverage of India’s must-win matches.
How did India fare in the 2026 T20 World Cup?
India suffered a 76-run defeat to South Africa in the opening match of the Super Eights and another loss to Zimbabwe could end their hopes of winning a record third T20 World Cup title.
Suryakumar Yadav’s team topped the group in the first round of the tournament with four wins from four matches. After a nervy start against the United States, they achieved a huge 93-run victory against Namibia.
A 61-point victory over rivals Pakistan sealed their place in the next stage, while the Netherlands fell just 17 points short of their target of 194 points in the final group match.
How did Zimbabwe perform in the T20 World Cup?
Sikandar Raza’s Zimbabwe emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages after overwhelming Australia and co-hosts Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights.
Their tournament opened with an eight-wicket win against Oman, but 23-run and six-wicket wins against the Australians and Sri Lankans respectively grabbed the headlines. The other match in the group was a complete defeat against Ireland, preventing the Africans from winning a complete victory.
Losing to West Indies at the start of the Super Eights stage may have been Zimbabwe’s first loss of the tournament, but like India, this is a must-win match in Chennai.
What do you think of the T20 World Cup Super Eight Group 1 standings?
West Indies defeated Zimbabwe to take top spot in Group 1 of the Super Eights, with South Africa in second place.
The two will face off for the top spot in the first match of the day on Thursday.
Nevertheless, both India and Zimbabwe will face off in search of a quick victory.
Group 1 concludes on Monday with Zimbabwe playing South Africa and India taking on West Indies.
Will India drop Abhishek Sharma against Zimbabwe?
Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson will be the top option in the order if India chooses to drop opening batsman Abhishek Sharma following a poor batting performance that includes three consecutive ducks.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak admitted that team combinations are under consideration for the high-stakes match.
“Change is possible,” Kotak told reporters. “And obviously we have two left-handed openers and No. 3 is left-handed, so it goes without saying that we talk.”
While Kotak downplayed the imbalance, he admitted that the early setbacks forced the team to re-evaluate.
“Personally I don’t think there’s an issue there, but obviously any team would think so because they lost a wicket in the first over of three matches,” he said.
Are India’s top batsmen weak against off-spin bowling?
India’s top and middle order are dominated by left-handed players, offering a distinct tactical approach to opponents.
Teams including Pakistan, Netherlands and South Africa targeted vulnerabilities by starting their bowling with off-spin and dismissing one of the two openers with off-spin in the first over.
In the loss against South Africa, Abhishek’s opening partner Ishan Kishan fell for a duck on the fourth ball after captain Aiden Markram started bowling with off-spin.
Right-hander Samson, who sat out the tournament with Abhishek unwell, could break the grip of the left-hander at the top of the pecking order.
“People ask about Sanju as the right-hand man from the front,” Kotak said. “Alternatively, we would consider playing three spinners,” he added.
Is Link Singh available in India?
India’s middle-order batsman Rinku Singh left the team to care for his ailing father and missed an important pre-match practice. However, Kotak said Rinku would rejoin the team on Wednesday night.
What is the history of India’s T20 World Cup?
India defeated South Africa in the 2024 edition and are not only the defending champions but also the joint record winners of the T20 World Cup.
India won the first edition in 2007 by defeating Pakistan in the final, but their second victory in the previous edition was a long wait.
England and West Indies have also won the tournament twice.
What is Zimbabwe’s T20 World Cup history?
This is Zimbabwe’s seventh appearance in the Men’s T20 World Cup, but the first time they have reached the Super Eights stage.
What happened the last time India played against Zimbabwe in a T20?
The last time the two teams met in a T20 international was in July 2024, when India registered a 42-run victory in Harare.
The victory completed a 4-1 come-from-behind series victory for the Tourists team after the hosts won the first match of the series and defended 115.
direct confrontation
This will be the 14th time the two teams have played each other in a T20 International. So far, India has won 10 encounters and Zimbabwe have won three encounters.
Expected Indian team
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Zimbabwe national team predictions
Tadiwanashe Malumani (wk), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Barr, Clive Madande, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngalava.
