Both Zimbabwe national cricket team and India national cricket team are on their way to victory. Either of these two teams will have to suffer a loss on 26th February in Chennai. The result of the match will depend on the playing eleven of Team India and Zimbabwe. What will be the playing XI? Let us find out through this article.
This article will provide in-depth information about the probable playing XI of India and Zimbabwe. Proving their worth in the group stage, both teams qualified for the next stage as eligible candidates. They qualified to the eighth round as one of the strongest sides in the competition. Their batsmen in particular did some serious work.
Playing XI of India vs Zimbabwe-T20 World Cup 2026:
Openers: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan
Team India is likely to stick to this pair for the opening slot. As Sharma is struggling with his form, expectations will be from Ishant Kishan to provide an explosive start at the beginning of the innings. If both the batsmen are in good touch then it can be easy to predict the outcome of the match.
Middle order: Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shivam Dubey, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh.
Strong middle order is the main strength of the team. In the group stage, when the openers performed unsuccessfully, the middle order provided much-needed support. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dubey are in good form and would like to continue their dominance in the Super 8 matches also.
Bowlers: Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh.
It may be difficult to predict the bowlers for this particular match, mainly because of workload management. However, as expected, Varun Chakraborty along with Jasprit Bumrah are performing well for the team. Fast bowling all-rounders Shivam Dubey and Hardik Pandya will be available to bowl the middle overs. Varun Chakraborty will be the key person, who can set the ultimatum of the match. The Chennai surface often provides support to spinners.
India’s playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shivam Dubey, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
Zimbabwe Playing XI vs India-T20 World Cup 2026:
Openers: Brian Bennett, Tadivanashe Marumani.
He is not Ishan Kishan or Abhishek Sharma. But Brian Bennett and Tadivanashe Marumani have already proved that they are here to make a mark in the T20 World Cup 2026. These two opening batsmen did their job well and were responsible for the team’s success against Australia and Sri Lanka.
Middle-order: Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (captain), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga and Tashinga Musekiwa.
Captain Sikandar Raza himself is the main man of the team. The batsmen of this order played some notable innings against Sri Lanka. If one of them sets out on track, the rest will try to set off fireworks in Chennai. Raza’s experience and skill against top bowlers will be beneficial for the Zimbabwe cricket team.
Bowlers: Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadja, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani.
There are very few fast bowlers who have been performing consistently since the beginning of the tournament. Blessing Muzarabani is one of them. He took wickets at regular intervals and was an important member of the team. Brad Evans and Graeme Cremer also performed well to the best of their ability. They will try to use the deck as much as possible.
Zimbabwe’s playing 11: Brian Bennett, Tadivanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (captain), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani.
Read more: The positive thing is that Abhishek Sharma has got three zeros: Ravi Shastri gives strange verdict on the poor form of the India opener