T20 World Cup 2026: The fourth match of the T20 World Cup 2026 kicks off this Sunday on February 8th in Chennai, with New Zealand facing Afghanistan. It is the first clash of Group D and both the teams have something to prove. Mitchell Santner leads the Kiwis and it is quite obvious they will want to start strong. On the other side, Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan won’t make it easy as they have got a point to make too. Now, take a look at what’s at stake and what to watch for.
These two sides have faced each other three times in T20s. One game got rained off. In the other two, each team grabbed a win. These two sides last met back in June 2024 where Afghanistan absolutely dominated as they won by 84 runs. Batting first, they scored 159 for 6 and then bowled New Zealand out for just 75 runs.
New Zeland wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway hasn’t been finding runs lately. So, it won’t be surprising if Tim Seifert opens with Finn Allen. A lot rides on Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy in the pace department, while Santner himself will handle the spin. The Afghan bowlers are no joke and so New Zealand can’t afford to relax at any point of the match. Afghanistan’s lineup is packed with all-rounders—players like Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Umarzai and Rashid Khan can all chip in with bat or ball.
About the pitch
Chennai’s surface usually helps the spinners, especially as the match wears on. Pacers might get something early on, but it gets harder for batters as the game goes. You don’t often see massive totals here. So teams need to keep their heads and play smart.
Weather in Chennai
As for the weather, it looks good—clear skies on February 8, with temperatures hovering between 21 and 29 degrees Celsius. There’s just a 10 percent chance of rain and there may be some breeze across the ground. So the fans should get a full game.
New Zealand Playing XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry/Kyle Jamieson.
Afghanistan Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (c), Abdullah Ahmadzai/Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq.
