India defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their Super Eight clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on February 26. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bowl first, hoping to exploit early assistance. India made two changes, bringing in Sanju Samson and Axar Patel in place of Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar.

Batting first, the Men in Blue piled up a massive 256/4 in 20 overs. Samson scored 24 off 15 balls, while Abhishek Sharma stitched a 72-run partnership in 42 balls for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan. Kishan contributed 38 off 24 deliveries. Abhishek, who had registered three consecutive ducks earlier in the tournament, bounced back in style with a blistering 55 off 30 balls, striking four fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 183.33.

Suryakumar Yadav then added impetus with a quickfire 33 off 13 balls. The late onslaught came from Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, who put together an explosive 84-run stand in just 31 balls for the fifth wicket. Pandya remained unbeaten on 50 off 23 balls, smashing two fours and four sixes, while Tilak finished on 44 not out off 16 deliveries. Four Zimbabwe bowlers shared the wickets.

In reply, Zimbabwe managed 184/6 in their 20 overs. Opener Brian Bennett fought valiantly with an unbeaten 97 off 59 balls, including eight fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 164.41. He shared a 72-run partnership for the third wicket with Sikandar Raza. However, the target proved too steep. Arshdeep Singh led India’s bowling effort with 3/24, while three other bowlers chipped in with a wicket each.

With this result, Zimbabwe were eliminated from the tournament, while South Africa secured qualification for the semi-finals. India will face West Indies on March 1 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, while Zimbabwe will meet South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.