New Zealand vs Afghanistan Match Prediction, T20 World Cup 2026: Who Will Win?

New Zealand vs Afghanistan match prediction, T20 World Cup 2026: Analyze team form, head-to-head stats, key players, pitch conditions, and who is likely to win the crucial T20 World Cup clash.

New Zealand vs Afghanistan (Image Credit: ICC)

Arunima Purohit

Last Updated: 10.13 PM, Feb 07, 2026

New Zealand are all set to take on Afghanistan in the fourth match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The match will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, where both teams will play their first game of the season. Both are considered as two strongest teams in the tournament which will make the clash even more interesting to watch for the fans.

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The Kiwis will be led by Mitchell Santner while Afghanistan will be led by Rashid Khan. Both are talented players and have an ample amount of experience in the format. The competition will be fierce between both the teams.

Match Details

Match: New Zealand vs Afghanistan, Match 4

Tournament: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

Date: February 8, 2026

Time: 11 AM IST

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Where to watch ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches from February 7 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?

Pitch Report

The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai offers a slow, spin-friendly surface that tends to assist spinners as the game progresses. Batters can score runs early on, but the pitch slows down, making stroke play difficult later. Pacers rely more on cutters and variations than pace.

The average T20 scores range between 150–170 runs here in most matches. It will be advisable for the toss winning team to look to chase in the second innings as the dew might come in later.

Head-to-Head Record

Matches played: 2

NZ won: 1

AFG won: 1

No result: 0

NZ vs AFG: Probable Playing XI

New Zealand

Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry.

Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (c), Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad.

Key Players to Watch

New Zealand

Tim Seifert - If we look at the recent series, Tim Seifert was brilliant against India in the T20I series. He will be expected to perform in the marquee event.

Glenn Philips - New Zealand’s Glenn Philips is quite popular for taking catches and stopping the ball from reaching the boundary. However, he is in red-hot form and played some outstanding knocks against India.

Mitchell Santner - Apart from bowling, Mitchell Santner’s contribution with the bat was quite valuable for New Zealand and they'll hope to keep getting those extra runs out of the skipper.

Afghanistan

Rashid Khan - Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan is an incredible player both with the bat and the ball. A lot of expectations will be on his shoulders for their tournament opener.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz - The batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has played some quality cricket in the past and is a trustworthy player in the team.

Noor Ahmad - The Chepauk Stadium is a place where Noor Ahmad has played a lot of IPL matches last season. Hence, he has the experience that could help Afghanistan in the tournament.

Match Prediction - Who will win the match?

New Zealand chance: 60%

Afghanistan chance: 40%

New Zealand are one of the best T20I teams in the world despite their performance in the previous series against India. But, Afghanistan are no less. They have emerged as a dangerous team in the past, especially in the ICC events. This upcoming match will surely be a test for both teams.

Prediction: New Zealand are likely to win the game.

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