🏏 ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Ind vs Zim 48th Match,26 Feb 🏏

🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: S8 - M48: India vs Zim at Chennai on 26/02/2026 at 7PM IST🏏

Blue jerseys on the backs of a teeming crowd along the Walajah Road on Thursday evening will finally not be out of context. Fans in Chennai have embraced every team that has set foot in the city and played at the iconic venue, turning up in tens of thousands even for sweltering afternoon matches here. But India are finally in town, with everything riding on their fixture.

For the second World Cup in a row, the locals were meant to be treated to an India-Australia spectacle. That's what the pre-tournament seeding had it chalked down as. But Zimbabwe emphatically struck that out, proving once again that there are no certainties in this format.

Speaking of no certainties, India have reached Chennai with their tag of favourites fast fading, and their batting - unrivaled until the tournament began - is now being seriously questioned. Not all is lost yet of course, but the Net Run Rate column has them in a tangle. The defeat to South Africa means India can only reach four points at best. There's a possibility where they could be dragged into a three-way tangle for two semifinal spots with NRR being the deciding factor. The decimation in Ahmedabad left them with -3.800, which they need to resuscitate over the next four days. Wins alone won't cut it.

Zimbabwe are now in the same boat, needing two wins and a surge in NRR. Their unbeaten journey through the group stage in Sri Lanka was cut short violently by West Indies in Mumbai, where a six-hitting batting line-up and the short square boundaries caught them unawares. Chennai offers better dimensions in that regard, but there will be the challenge of dew to deal with.

The competitiveness of the Super Eights group has raised the stakes for the 3 PM fixture on Thursday too. West Indies and South Africa will jostle for two crucial points in Ahmedabad, and nearly 2,000 kilometers away in Chennai, India and Zimbabwe will watch on keenly for as long as they can.

Yet, their futures in the tournament will still be determined by what they can control later that evening, as Chepauk gears up to bounce with bated anticipation for one last time at the World Cup.

When: India vs Zimbabwe, 48th match, Super Eights Group 1, February 26, 7 PM IST

Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

What to expect: Equal-sized square boundaries, with the game to be played on the central pitch (No.5). It's confirmed to be a black soil surface, but in what will come as music to India's ears, Chepauk has the worst bowling strike-rate and second-worst bowling average for spinners among the eight venues in this World Cup.

Furthermore, they might just stumble upon the true surface they have sought all along. In the two 7 PM matches at the venue, first innings scores have been 200/4 (by Afghanistan) and 196/6 (by USA).

Team news:

India

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed that there have been conversations about changes to mix up the left-handed top-three. Sanju Samson, who batted long and did keeping drills two days out from the fixture, could be an option.

Kotak also confirmed that Rinku Singh had left to attend to his ailing father but was due to return on Wednesday evening. There's still a chance India don't feature him and maintain their batting depth by adding to the heft at the top. With only two left-handers in Zimbabwe's top-order, expect Axar Patel to reclaim his spot too.

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

Zimbabwe

"Sikandar Raza is 100% playing. Good luck telling him that he's not going to play against India," Ryan Burl said with a chuckle. The Zimbabwe skipper took a hit to his left palm in the game against West Indies in Mumbai, but is ready to go again.

Zimbabwe could resist the urge to make changes after the big loss in Mumbai, and instead choose to alter their bowling plans. Against West Indies, they used four quicks and just two spinners in Raza and Graeme Cremer. If the opportunity comes up, Raza could throw on leg-spinner Burl against the likes of Suryakumar and Tilak in the middle-overs.

Probable XI: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani

Did you know:

- India average 6.80 for the first wicket in this World Cup - the lowest amongst the 20 teams.

- Brian Bennett is the leading run-getter in T20Is since the start of 2024 with 1748 runs

- Sikandar Raza has been clutch in this World Cup but... he averages 16.30 against India in 10 T20Is with a highest score of 46.

- Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are India's top-two wicket-takers in T20 World Cups, with 33 and 32 wickets respectively. India have won 10 of the 11 World Cup fixtures where the two have featured

Stats and trivia

• Of all Full Member bowlers, Bumrah and Ngarava have bowled the joint-most maidens in T20I history: 12 each.

• Raza is 15 runs away from becoming the first Zimbabwe batter to reach 3000 in T20Is, while Ryan Burl is 57 away from 2000.

• Raza and Hardik Pandya are among a select group of five allrounders with 2000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is. Malaysia's Virandeep Singh is the only one in the 3000 runs-and-100-wicket club.

• These two teams have only met once before in T20 World Cups, at the MCG in 2022, when Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 25-ball 61 led India to a 71-run win.

• Zimbabwe have never played a T20I against India in India. The last of their 24 international meetings in India (five Tests and 19 ODIs) was an ODI in March 2002.

Pitch and conditions

For long considered the ground where spinners come to party in T20s, Chepauk has flipped the script at this World Cup. It has been the best batting ground of the tournament in terms of both average and strike rate, and for spin bowlers, it sits in the bottom three for both average and strike rate. And it has been a complete struggle for the quicks, who have found it the most difficult ground of the tournament both in terms of wicket-taking and containment. This is likely an outcome of the outfield getting relaid after IPL 2025, and no domestic or local matches being played at this ground through 2025-26, where other venues have hosted matches on end-of-season pitches.

A black-soil surface will be in play on Thursday, the same one where New Zealand chased down 183 in just 17.5 overs against Afghanistan. A clear, warm evening is expected, with temperatures in the mid-to-late 20s (Celsius).

Quotes

"Definitely. We'll play the same brand of cricket. Yes, sometimes you lose a couple of wickets and somebody tries to see off six to eight balls - not defending, but maybe the shot selection, you play [low] risk-percentage shots. But otherwise, [in] T20 game, we have to be very positive and play the same brand of cricket which has given us success."

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak

"He's someone that we're really happy having in our squad. He's one of those bowlers that's obviously 6'9", and he does kind of come a little bit from beyond the perpendicular. So jagging the ball back into the righties and across the lefties with that steep bounce does propose quite a lot of a challenge for the batters. So I'm a lot happier knowing that he's on my team and not on the opposition."

Zimbabwe allrounder Ryan Burl on the threat posed by Blessing Muzarabani

In the spotlight - Jasprit Bumrah and Tadiwanashe Marumani

Jasprit Bumrah's 3 for 15 against South Africa perfectly fit a painful pattern over recent months, when he has seemed fated to deliver his most magical spells, across formats, in defeat. He has had an incredible tournament - average of 9.85, economy rate of 5.30 - and it's to him that India will look in this situation where they cannot afford any missteps.

Tadiwanashe Marumani has made a strong impression at this tournament without putting up a headline-grabbing display. Four visits to the crease have brought him scores of 21, 35, 34 and 14 at an overall strike rate of 157.57, and his daring strokeplay in the powerplay - his reverse-sweeping has been a joy in particular - has allowed Brian Bennett to drop anchor at the other end. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza, interviewed by ESPNcricinfo, has tipped Marumani to win a Player-of-the-Match award at some point in this World Cup. Could it happen against India?

Thanks for the tag Soni.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

I don't know what to say

Jeet jana aj

Dominate karna hai boys

Bt let's see 1st what gonna happen in 3 pm match

India meet Zimbabwe with their semi-final hopes on the line

Heavy defeats have damaged their net run rates, and now both teams need massive wins to recover

Big picture - Eye on India's batters

One bad day is more than enough to send you home, if it's bad enough. India and Zimbabwehave begun their Super Eight campaigns at this T20 World Cup with days of acute badness. Look at their net run rates and weep.

The players and coaching staff won't be weeping on their way to the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, but they'll be keeping an anxious eye on the afternoon game between West Indies and South Africa. India will desperately hope that South Africa win, and Zimbabwe that West Indies win. That result could have a massive bearing on their semi-finals chances.

But that match won't be in their control. What will be is their own performances, starting with this one. Neither can afford to lose.

But one team has significantly more to lose. Whatever happens hereon, Zimbabwe will return home as heroes who upset Australia and shocked Sri Lanka in front of their own fans. Whatever happens hereon, they'll always have Colombo, and Brad Evans running out Matt Kuhnemann, and Brian Bennett driving Maheesh Theekshana through extra-cover.

India could break every conceivable record, and perform feats of previously unimagined skill and athleticism at this T20 World Cup, but none of it will matter if they don't win it. Such is the level of expectation they brought into this tournament - a level so scary because it was both excessive and realistic. They have been that good at this format.

They have been much less good at this World Cup, though, even before the shock of their defeat to South Africa. Their batters, in particular, have struggled in ways that were inconceivable before the tournament began.

And it is here that Zimbabwe will sense their strongest chance against an India line-up that should, on paper, beat them nine times out of ten. If Blessing Muzarabani and his new-ball colleagues - Sikandar Raza, bowling his heterodox offspin, could be one of them - can force just enough early error, and if those errors beget chances, they could bring this contest to life.