India vs Zimbabwe, Super 8, T20 World Cup 2026: Date, time, venue, live streaming details

With a net run rate of -3.800, India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, must secure a win and improve their standings. Zimbabwe, under Sikandar Raza, aims to continue their giant-killing spree.

This will be the first India vs Zimbabwe T20I match on Indian soil.

After a huge 76-run defeat in Ahmedabad against South Africa, India will now move to the spin-friendly tracks of Chennai for their do-or-die encounter against a dangerous Zimbabwean side. While India will be fighting for survival in the tournament, Zimbabwe will also look to cement their status as the ultimate giant killers of the T20 World Cup 2026. Here is everything you need to know about the India vs Zimbabwe Super 8, T20 World Cup 2026 match on Thursday.

Match details

Match: India vs Zimbabwe, Match 48 (Super 8, Group 1)

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Time: 7:30 PM IST (Local Time)

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Chennai.

Where to watch the India vs Zimbabwe, Super 8, T20 World Cup 2026 match in India?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs Zimbabwe, Super 8, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

On television, fans can watch the match on Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), and Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu).

Read Also: T20 World Cup 2026: How can India qualify for the semis? Full scenario explained with stats and numbers.

Preview

The defending champions, India, will enter this game with their backs against the wall. The heavy loss to South Africa has left them at the bottom of Group 1 with a devastating net run rate of -3.800. This means for Suryakumar Yadav's men, a simple win is not enough. They need a better net run rate, which would eventually help them get ahead of South Africa, or West Indies, or even Zimbabwe in the point stable.

India would be worried about the form of their opening batter, Abhishek Sharma and also the inability of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav in the middle to get going.

With the news of Sanju Samson returning to the playing XI, they might also like to bring Axar Patel back to make the batting line-up bigger and better. On a rare occasion, Varun Chakravarthy struggled against South Africa, but India would not be worried about their bowling line-up and would like to have a 10-on-10 performance with the bat against a team like Zimbabwe.

Read also: Ranji Trophy 2026 final: J&K captain Paras Dogra gets punished by the BCCI for headbutting Karnataka's KV Aneesh.

These two players, who are led by the Evergreen's second Raza, should not be underestimated at all. They have qualified for the Super 8s by defeating teams like Australia and Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, proving they thrive under pressure.

Most importantly, they have been playing on the slower pitches of Sri Lanka and with the nature of the Chennai pitch, the spin combination of Raza and Ryan Burl, and others could prove a nightmare for India's struggling middle order.

Blessing Muzarabani, who has taken 11 wickets so far in the tournament and is currently the second-highest wicket-taker of this edition, will be a player to watch out for. Along with him, Brian Bennett, who averages 180 with the bat, can be the player who can set up the platform for middle-order batters like Raza or Zimbabwe.

Possible XIs

India: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Dion Myers, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Bradley Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.

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