NZ vs CAN T20 World Cup: Canada win toss, opts to bat against New Zealand

In the 31 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 between New Zealand and Canada is underway at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

Toss Update: Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa won the toss and elected to bat.

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Bajwa said, “It looks like a good surface to start on, and later in the game there might be some assistance for the spinners. So it’s better to put runs on the board and defend a target. We’ve had a couple of night games recently, so a day game is a nice change. I think it suits us, especially with our spinners – the conditions should help them later on. One change- Kaleem Sana is out due to injury, and Shivam Sharma comes in.”

Canada made one change: Shivam Sharma comes in for injured Kaleem Sana.

New Zealand Captain Bracewell said:

“Mitch (Santner) not feeling too great today, so hopefully he’ll be good to go in 24 hours. Firstly, we’re really excited for Lockie with the birth of his first baby — that’s special news — and he’ll be back soon. In terms of the team, Kyle Jamieson comes in for him, so it’s a like-for-like replacement, which is good for us. Cole (McConchie) comes in for Santner as well, so again it’s a very similar role. He’ll be excited to get the opportunity. It brings different challenges. “A number of us have played quite a few games here in Chennai over the last few years, so we understand the conditions. We’ll assess the surface quickly and adapt as the game unfolds.”

For New Zealand, Kyle Jamieson and Cole McConchie come in as replacements.

New Zealand have already beaten Afghanistan and UAE, but suffered a 7-wicket defeat to South Africa in their previous match. A win here will secure their place in the Super Eight stage.

Canada lost their last two games to UAE and South Africa. This match is crucial if they want to stay alive in the tournament and avoid early elimination.

Canada vs New zealand T20 World Cup: Playing XIs

Canada:

Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa (C), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (WK), Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskarandeep Singh, Ansh Patel

New Zealand:

Tim Seifert (WK), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell (C), Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy