The IND vs NED match is India's last group-stage fixture before advancing to the T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights.
The defending champions, India, are set to take on the Netherlands in their final group-stage match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. But interestingly, the side has left out two of their key players, in the form of vice-captain Axar Patel and star spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (C) (WK), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Noah Croes, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, and Kyle Klein.
The hosts have comfortably advanced into the T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights with three successive victories. But the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav noted during the toss that the team wants to test themselves before stepping into the next stage of the mega ICC championship. Hence, they opted to bring in some changes in their winning combination.
Axar and Kuldeep have been replaced by Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh in India’s starting XI, respectively. However, both of the players have made an impact in the Men in Blue’s three fixtures in the tournament so far. The vice-captain of the side has snared six wickets at an impressive economy of 6.63, besides contributing 14 runs at a crucial stage in their tournament opener against the USA.
On the other hand, Kuldeep left his mark in his solitary appearance against the arch-rivals Pakistan, finishing with a commendable figure of 3-0-14-1. While Arshdeep has played in two matches of the league, snaring three wickets, the IND vs NED match will be the maiden appearance for Sundar in the T20 World Cup 2026.
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Suryakumar and men would want to carry on their winning momentum in the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup 2026. But despite having a near-perfect run so far, the side would be concerned over the persistent struggles of Abhishek Sharma. Earlier, India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, had brushed away any form concerns for the batter just a day before the IND vs NED clash.
But the 25-year-old has once again failed to get off the mark, making it the third time in a row in the ongoing ICC event. The explosive opener’s return to form would be crucial for India in the Super Eights stage, starting on February 22, against last edition’s runners-up, South Africa.
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