Matchday Preview: Giant slayers Afghanistan take on NZ as ENG, SL kick off campaigns
India Today
T20 World Cup 2026, Matchday preview: The Day 2 of the T20 World Cup 2026 features three thrilling matches with Afghanistan taking on New Zealand and England and Sri Lanka also starting their respective campaigns. Spin-friendly pitches could play a crucial role, setting up intriguing contests and possible upsets. Here's our match-wise guide for Day 2 of the tournament:
After an action-packed opening day, the second day of the T20 World Cup 2026 promises even more excitement for fans, with three riveting encounters lined up. The first fixture of the day will see New Zealand and Afghanistan go head-to-head in Chennai.
The second match will feature two-time champions England as they begin their campaign against Nepal in Mumbai. The final match of the day will pit co-hosts Sri Lanka against Ireland in Colombo.
While former champions England and Sri Lanka headline the fixtures, all eyes will be firmly on the opening clash between Afghanistan and New Zealand, especially after the Afghans got the better of the Kiwis in the previous edition.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan in Chennai in a Group D match at 11 am IST.
England vs Nepal in Mumbai in a Group C match at 3 pm IST.
Sri Lanka vs Ireland in Colombo in a Group B match at 7 pm IST.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has set his sights on qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2027 after guiding his team to back-to-back ICC white-ball triumphs.
IPL 2026: The BCCI announced the schedule for the first 16 days of the 19th season of the IPL. Defending champions RCB will take on SunRisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on March 28 in the opening game.
Former chief selector Sandeep Patil reveals Gautam Gambhir has refused to speak to him since being dropped in 2013, recalling a long-standing rift that began during MS Dhoni's captaincy tenure.
PAK vs BAN, 1st ODI: Without Babar Azam in their lineup, Pakistan slumped to their lowest ODI total against Bangladesh when the two teams met on Wednesday, March 11 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Bangladesh chased the target with 209 deliveries remaining.
NZW vs ZIMW: Amelia Kerr enjoyed a dream ODI series against Zimbabwe, taking 16 wickets from three matches at an economy rate of 4.07. Earlier in the limited-overs leg of the tour, the New Zealand skipper also claimed a seven-wicket haul and scored her maiden T20I century.
IPL 2026: MS Dhoni, 44, will play the entirety of the upcoming season, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan said on Wednesday, March 11. The upcoming edition of the IPL is likely to get underway on March 28.
T20 World Cup: India captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that Sanju Samson had asked what he could do for the team despite starting the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup on the bench. Samson later emerged as India's biggest hero of the tournament.
T20 World Cup: Varun Chakravarthy's reign at the top of the ICC T20I bowlers rankings has come to an end after his lacklustre performance during the second phase of the T20 World Cup 2026.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said US President Donald Trump had assured that Iran would be allowed to travel to the United States to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The confirmation came amid growing doubts over Iran's participation due to rising geopolitical tensions.
Virat Kohli has been spotted hitting the nets ahead of IPL 2026, with the Indian batting great putting in the hard yards early as defending champions RCB gear up for the new season.
Two years after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja stepped away from T20Is, India's new core delivered the perfect answer. Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube carried the legacy forward with a title-winning run at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
India coach Gautam Gambhir slammed Kirti Azad's comment about the team taking the T20 World Cup trophy to the Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad, saying it was degrading the players and their achievement on the day.
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has gone viral over his odd take on the T20 World Cup. Manjrekar feels that ODI World Cup and the WTC wins are bigger achievements than winning the T20 World Cup.