XI Changes & More

The 2026 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup is rolling along. New Zealand was the latest team to claim victory over Sri Lanka, to the tune of a 61-run victory. Now, India and Zimbabwe are looking to stay in the hunt for a semi-final berth.

Just like the Winter Olympics before it, the T20 Cricket World Cup is the international event everyone should keep an eye on. Cricket will return to the Olympics in 2028, which makes this the perfect opportunity to get familiar with the sport.

Here is a review of the India vs Zimbabwe match. Included is the weather report, the use of Dew Cure, where to stream, starting XI’s, and head-to-head stats.

India Will Face a Wide Variety of ‘Bowls’

India’s hopes of a repeat World Cup championship hang on their ability to bat against a variety of bowlers.

“We’ve obviously got a lot of options,” Zimbabwe all-round cricketer Ryan Burl said. “We’ve got a left-arm seamer, a right-arm seamer, we’ve got a couple of legspinners, we’ve got an offspinner, we’ve got a left-arm offie. So, we do have quite a lot of depth. I think it will probably just come down to what are the match-ups.”

“Depending on the batters that are out there at the time and the combinations that we do look to go for.”

Look for Zimbabwe to utilize the likes of their spin-bowlers: Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza, and Wellington Masakadza.

Two Expected XI Changes to Balance India’s Attack

The Indian Express predicts that India will break up its left-handed-heavy batting order with a couple of right-handed bats.

They predict that Sanju Samson and Axar Patel will enter the XI.

“Sanju Samson is expected to return to the side to break the sequence of left-handers in the batting order,” The Indian Express wrote on February 26, 2026. “Apart from that, Axar Patel was benched for the game against South Africa, with the form the all-rounder was in, and he too will return to the side.”

Weather Report For MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

According to AccuWeather, the weather for the India vs Zimbabwe match should be primarily favorable. This site shows a predicted high of 28 degrees in Chennai.

However, indoor humidity is rated “extremely” humid at 75 percent. The weather website also states that the Air Quality at that time will be “poor.”

Dew Cure to the Rescue?

A chemical used in MLB turf was imported to improve pitch conditions.

The chemical named “Dew Cure” ensures that there is no moisture on the grass once it has taken full effect. The chemical will be applied three times by the start time of the India vs Zimbabwe match, according to The Indian Express.

“The groundstaff sprayed ‘Dew Cure’, mixed with water, on the outfield on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon,” wrote the outlet on February 26, 2026. “The plan is to spray it on Thursday afternoon as well so that it takes full effect by the time the match begins.”

The outlet reports that the BCCI could make Dew Cure mandatory for all IPL matches in the upcoming season.

Where to Stream India vs Zimbabwe T20 Cricket Super 8 Match

The India vs Zimbabwe match will be broadcast at 6:30 PM PKT (Pakistan Standard Time), 7:00 PM IST (Sri Lanka time), 2:30 AM NZDT (New Zealand Time Zone), and 6:30 AM MT (Mountain Time).

T20 cricket fans can stream the match on ICC.tv, Tamasha (For Pakistan fans), Fubo, and Willow. However, some of these services offer streaming for free, while others require a subscription.

India vs Zimbabwe Starting XI’s For T20 Super 8 Match

Here are the starting XI’s for India and Zimbabwe.

India Confirmed XI

Abhishek Sharma

Sanju Samson (WK) (In for Rinku Singh)

Ishan Kishan

Suryakumar Yadav (C)

Tilak Varma

Hardik Pandya

Shivam Dube

Axar Patel (In for Washington Sundar)

Arshdeep Singh

Varun Chakaravarthy

Jasprit Bumrah

Zimbabwe Confirmed XI

Tadiwanashe Marumani (WK)

Brian Bennett

Dion Myers

Ryan Burl

Sikandar Raza (C)

Tony Munyonga

Tashinga Musekiwa

Brad Evans

Tinotenda Maposa (In for Graeme Cremer)

Richard Ngarava

Blessing Muzarabani

India vs Zimbabwe Head-to-Head Record & Notable Stats

Here are a few head-to-head stats from recent matches between India and Zimbabwe.

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