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Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa has won the toss and elected to bowl first against Afghanistan in the final Group D fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Chennai.
With both sides already mathematically eliminated from the Super Eight contention, tonight’s encounter at the historic Chepauk stadium is effectively a dead rubber. However, the atmosphere remains charged as both nations look to exit the tournament with momentum and restore national pride.[3][8]
The decision to field comes as Canada looks to exploit any early moisture under the lights, though the surface is widely expected to turn significantly as the game progresses—a factor that usually plays into the hands of Afghanistan’s world-class spin attack.
Team News: Sana returns for Canada
Canada have made one tactical adjustment to their starting XI. Pacer Kaleem Sana has been recalled to the side, replacing spinner Shivam Sharma.[2][6][8][9] The move suggests Canada are hoping to make inroads with the new ball against the dangerous Afghan opening pair.
For Afghanistan, who have had a tournament to forget after their semi-final heroics in 2024, there is a debut of sorts in the pace department.[6] Abdullah Ahmadzai has been handed a cap, replacing chinaman bowler Noor Ahmad, as the management looks to test their bench strength in this final outing.[6]
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai.[2][3][4][6][8][9]
Canada XI: Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Saad Bin Zafar, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskaran Singh, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel.[2][3][4][5][6][8][9]
Playing for Pride in the ‘Group of Death’
Group D has lived up to its reputation as the most difficult group in the tournament. South Africa and New Zealand have already secured the two qualification spots for the Super Eights, leaving the other three teams to fight for the scraps.
For Afghanistan, this campaign has been a bitter pill to swallow.[6] Arriving in India with genuine hopes of lifting the trophy, their dreams were dashed early on.[6] A crushing defeat to New Zealand set the tone, but it was the historic, heart-breaking double Super Over loss to South Africa that truly derailed their momentum.[6]
Rashid Khan, speaking at the toss, admitted the disappointment but emphasised the need for professionalism.[6]
“It has been a tough couple of weeks for us as a group,” the Afghan skipper said.[6] “We played some good cricket but didn’t win the key moments. Today is about showing our character. We want to put a good score on the board and let our bowlers enjoy the conditions. The fans in Chennai have been wonderful, and we want to give them a show.”
Canada’s Learning Curve
On the other side of the divide, Canada are still searching for their first win of the competition.[3][4][10] Despite sitting bottom of the table with three defeats, their performances have garnered respect.[6]
The standout story of their campaign has undoubtedly been the emergence of 19-year-old batting sensation Yuvraj Samra.[7] His aggressive century against New Zealand earlier in the week—the first ever by a Canadian in a T20 World Cup—was a rare bright spark in an otherwise difficult tournament.
Canadian captain Dilpreet Bajwa expressed confidence that his side could pull off an upset against the Full Member nation.[6]
“We have played good cricket in patches,” Bajwa said at the toss.[6] “Against South Africa and New Zealand, we competed for 30 overs but let it slip in the final ten. We know Afghanistan are a dangerous side, especially here in Chennai, but we back our bowlers to restrict them. We want to chase under the lights.”
Conditions and Pitch Report
The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is typical of the venue—dry, hard, and expected to offer plenty of assistance to the slower bowlers.
Pundits pitch-side have noted that while the new ball might skid onto the bat nicely in the powerplay, scoring will become increasingly difficult as the ball softens. A total in the region of 160-170 is considered par, and anything above 180 could be match-winning.[6]
The “dew factor” is always a talking point in Chennai evening games, but reports suggest humidity levels are manageable tonight, which might explain why Rashid Khan mentioned he would have batted first anyway had he won the toss.[6]
The Spin Threat
All eyes will be on the battle between Canada’s inexperienced middle order and Afghanistan’s spin wizards.[3][6] Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan will be licking their lips at the prospect of bowling on this surface.
Canada’s batters, particularly the likes of Nicholas Kirton and Navneet Dhaliwal, will need to use their feet well.[6] If they allow the Afghan spinners to settle into a rhythm, the chase could derail quickly. Conversely, if Canada can navigate the middle overs without losing a cluster of wickets, their power hitters at the death could make history.[6]
