India will look to go into the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 unbeaten when they face the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 18. Suryakumar Yadav and company have already qualified for the next round from Group A.
The Men in Blue have been in terrific form so far, having won all their matches in fairly comfortable fashion. Their batting hasn’t been as explosive as expected, but their bowling attack has been well-rounded enough to get them over the line in some tricky encounters.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, have had a mixed tournament. While they have shown glimpses of their potential, they have also been inconsistent. Scott Edwards and his men haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet, but it’s hard to see them qualify, especially with Pakistan on the verge of a victory over Namibia.
The Dutch will need to play out of their skins to beat India, especially with the match being held at the usually flat Ahmedabad. Can India maintain their perfect record? Or will the Netherlands cause an unprecedented upset?
India’s squad for the T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar.
Netherlands’ squad for the T20 World Cup : Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (c& wk), Zach Lion-Cachet, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Fred Klaassen, Noah Croes, Saqib Zulfiqar, Paul van Meekeren, Timm van der Gugten.
T20 World Cup 2026: India expected to continue their winning streak
An important aspect of this match will be how the Netherlands’ powerplay batters handle the Indian new-ball bowlers. If Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd can negate the swing and seam movement early on, with Arshdeep having gone for a few runs lately, it will set a solid foundation for the middle order to build upon. However, if they succumb to early pressure, the Netherlands could find themselves in deep trouble.
India will be tempted to retain Kuldeep Yadav, but with Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy in the ranks, they have spin covered through the middle overs. The hosts should be more than comfortable in the bowling department, with no one in the Netherlands unit truly stepping up so far in the T20 World Cup.
The Ahmedabad pitch is expected to favor batting, which means a high-scoring affair could be on the cards. For the Netherlands to have any chance, they need a surface that brings their bowlers into the game and minimizes their batting deficiencies. At a venue like the Narendra Modi Stadium, however, India’s superior firepower and well-rounded attack make them overwhelming favorites.
Taking all factors into account, India are expected to win this match comfortably and maintain their perfect record in the tournament.
Prediction: India to win Match 36 of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Edited by Sai Krishna