
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in the fourth game of the 2026 T20 World Cup in Chennai.
Both teams are placed in Group D that also includes last tournament’s finalist South Africa and two associate nations — Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Only two teams can progress from this ‘group of death’ to the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
It is the first international match between the two teams since Afghanistan’s famous 84-run win against the Black Caps at Guyana at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
New Zealand has been in India over the last month but has had to cope with quite a number of injuries and illnesses to its players.
Afghanistan is at its full strength and goes into the game as favorites with ace spinner and captain Rashid Khan needing only four wickets to become the first bowler to take 700 wickets in T20 matches.
The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, got underway yesterday with victories for Pakistan, India and the West Indies.



