Former Indian fast bowler and 2011 ODI World Cup winner Munaf Patel has selected his Team India playing eleven for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. The former fast bowler called for a change in the lineup, with wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav replacing leg spinner Varun Chakravarthy in the lineup.
Team India will face New Zealand in the final on Sunday, March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue defeated England in the other semi-final. Notably, the hosts may consider one or two changes for the big game, as some key players are not in form at the moment.
Munaf Patel drops Varun Chakraborty from India’s playing eleven for T20 World Cup final
Munaf Patel took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share his India playing XI for the upcoming match. Munaf backed opener Abhishek Sharma in his lineup. The opening batsman has scored 89 runs at an average of less than 13 and a strike rate of 130.88 in seven matches so far in the competition.
However, Munaf left Varun Chakraborty out of the lineup. Varun performed impressively in the group-stage games, taking 9 wickets in four matches. However, he has not been the same bowler since he was dropped by South Africa in the Super 8 clash.
In the last four matches, his average has been 46.25 and economy rate of around 12. During the semi-final win over England, he endured his worst T20I outing to date, conceding 64 runs from his four overs, while taking just one wicket.
In the World Cup, the 34-year-old has taken 13 wickets in eight matches at an average of 19.07 and an economy rate of 8.85. Overall, Varun Chakravarthy has taken 72 wickets in 44 matches at an average of 16.30 and an economy of 7.45.
My playing 11 will be like this #INDvsNZ
Sanju
Coronation
Ishaan
Sky
Tilak
Heartfelt
Dubey
Letter
Kuldeep
boomrah
ArshdeepWhat’s yours?#T20WorldCup #IndvsNZ #Last
– Munaf Patel (@munafpa99881129) 7 March 2026
Munaf Patel’s Team India’s playing eleven for T20 World Cup 2026 final
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
Concern about Kuldeep Yadav’s match fitness before the final
There are concerns about Kuldeep Yadav’s match fitness. Kuldeep is a proven match-winner, but he has warmed the bench for most of India’s games during this tournament.
The left-arm wrist spinner has played only one match, which was against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15. He was very economical in that game, giving figures of 1/14 from his three overs.
Kuldeep is a rhythmic bowler, which makes playing time very important for him. While he is bowling in the nets, every cricketer knows that nothing can replace the actual match time.
Meanwhile, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said in the pre-match press conference that there are no concerns about Chakravarthy ahead of the final.
Suryakumar Yadav (via Telegraph India) said, “I have no worries about Varun because he is the No. 1 bowler in the world, he knows how to raise his game on big occasions and make his team win and I am sure he will definitely win the final for us.”
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