T20WC 2026 NZ vs CAN Playing 11: Daryl Mitchell-led New Zealand will square off against Dilpreet Bajwa-led Canada in the 31st match of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

New Zealand secured 2 wins out of three games against Afghanistan and the UAE, while Canada suffered two consecutive defeats against South Africa and the UAE.

Blackcaps will be aiming for a win to secure their spot in the Super 8s. Meanwhile, Canada will be aiming to secure a win to make a positive note on the T20 World Cup 2026 points table.

Canada won the toss and opted to bat. Speaking at the toss, Dilpreet Bajwa said, “We’ll bat first. 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. Yes, one change. Kaleem Sana is out due to injury, and Shivam Sharma comes in,” concluded Bajwa.

On the other hand, New Zealand stand-in captain Daryl Mitchell said, “Mitch is 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.”

Speaking on today’s New Zealand Cricket Team players list, Daryl said, “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. (adjusting to day games) 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,” concluded Daryl Mitchell.

T20WC 2026 NZ vs CAN Playing 11

New Zealand Playing 11: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell(c), Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy

Canada Playing 11: Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa(c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva(w), Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskaran Singh, Ansh Patel