India Vs Zimbabwe Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Sanju Samson Wastes No Time With Explosive Start, IND 23/0 (2)

Good over for India again as Sanju Samson stays aggressive at the top. He picked Muzarabani’s short ball early and pulled it effortlessly for a big six, adding a couple more runs through smart running. India move to 23/0 after two overs, with Samson looking in fine touch.

Sanju Samson wasted no time settling in, launching Richard Ngarava for a towering six before cracking a boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking. A couple of smart singles and quick running helped India finish the opening over strongly at 13 without loss. Abhishek Sharma is yet to get strike, while Samson looks confident early on.

IND 13/0 (1)

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma are out in the middle, with Samson set to face the first delivery as Richard Ngarava prepares to begin the bowling attack.

Sanju Samson and Axar Patel are in for Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar, told India captain Suryakumar Yadav at the toss. He also said, "Happy with the decision, were looking to bat first. Boys are ready. Mood in the camp is relaxed. Huddle was too good, the way he spoke in the huddle (Hardik). Even if you win or lose, you learn something out of it. Just forget what happened in the last game."

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza(c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava

India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Both teams' captain have exchanged the team sheets. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel were spotted taking a look at the surface at Chepaul. So, who do you think gonna get dropped?

South Africa (177/1) defeated West Indies (176/8) by nine wickets in their T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match on Thursday in Ahmedabad. This result comes as a huge boost for India, putting their qualification destiny firmly in their own hands. If Suryakumar Yadav and his team manage to win both remaining matches, a semifinal spot will be guaranteed.

Former India batter Virender Sehwag has advised the team management to leave out Abhishek Sharma for the clash against Zimbabwe, stressing that India should select the playing XI purely on current form for the must-win encounter.

"If I was there, I would have given Abhishek Sharma a break and try Sanju Samson instead. This is the only match where you can try, because if India lose this game, then they are out. Since this is such an important match, India have to pick their best playing XI on the basis of form," Sehwag said in a show on Cricbuzz.

India vs Zimbabwe, ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium is forecast to be dry and clear on match day, with no rain expected and warm conditions throughout play. Humidity may rise in the evening, but rain won’t interrupt the contest. Temperatures will remain around the low-30s °C, ideal for an uninterrupted T20 clash

6 p.m.: 29°C, 0% rain

7 p.m.: 28°C, 0% rain

8 p.m.: 29°C, 0% rain

9 p.m.: 28°C, 0% rain

10 p.m.: 28°C, 0% rain

11 p.m.: 27°C, 0% rain

Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder helped West Indies make a superb recovery and post a competitive total of 176/8 against South Africa. But SA openers Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock have given a tremendous start to the team, scoring 53 runs in just 5 overs.

Follow our WI vs SA live blog.

The Chennai outing marks only the second meeting between the two teams in the T20 World Cups. India thrashed Zimbabwe by 71 runs in their 2022 World Cup group game at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Suryakumar Yadav hit an unbeaten 61 off 25 to help India post 186/5, then a six-pronged attack led by Ravichandran Ashwin (3/22) dismantled the Zimbabweans.

The Super 8 match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 between India and Zimbabwe will be streamed live on the Jio Hotstar app and website in India. It will also be telecast live on the Star Sports Network. The live action will begin at 7:00 PM IST, while the toss takes place at 6:30 PM.

Good afternoon and welcome, everyone! We have a double-header at the T20 World Cup today. In the second match, India meet Zimbabwe in Chennai. Watch this space for the build-up and live updates from the Super Eights clash.