T20 World Cup: Canada wins toss, opts to bat first against New Zealand

Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in their T20 World Cup match in Chennai. Shivam Sharma replaces the injured Kaleem Sana. New Zealand sees Daryl Mitchell stand in as captain for an ill Santner.

Canada wins toss, elects to bat

Canada has opted to bat first after winning the toss against New Zealand in match 31 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 being played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. Canada made only one change in their playing XI from the last match as Kaleem Sana missed out due to injury, and Shivam Sharma came into the playing XI, replacing him.

During the toss, Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa said, "We'll bat first. It looks like a good surface to start on, and later in the game, there might be some assistance for the spinners. So it's better to put runs on the board and defend a target. We've had a couple of night games recently, so a day game is a nice change. I think it suits us, especially with our spinners - the conditions should help them later on. Yes, one change. Kaleem Sana is out due to injury, and Shivam Sharma comes in."

Santner, Ferguson miss out for New Zealand

New Zealand full-time skipper Mitchell Santner has been rested from the match due to illness, and Darly Mitchell came for the toss as the stand-in captain of New Zealand. Cole McConchie, who came into the New Zealand squad as Michael Bracewell's replacement, was included in the playing XI in place of Santner. The Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson has gone back to New Zealand for the birth of his first baby, and Kyle Jamieson replaced him in the Playing XI.

Speaking during the toss, New Zealand captain for the match, Daryl Mitchell, said, "Santner is not feeling too great today, so hopefully he'll be good to go in 24 hours. Firstly, we're really excited for Lockie with the birth of his first baby -- that's special news -- and he'll be back soon. In terms of the team, Kyle Jamieson comes in for him, so it's a like-for-like replacement, which is good for us. Cole (McConchie) comes in for Santner as well, so again it's a very similar role. He'll be excited to get the opportunity."

On playing in Chennai, he said, "It brings different challenges. A number of us have played quite a few games here in Chennai over the last few years, so we understand the conditions. We'll assess the surface quickly and adapt as the game unfolds."

Playing XIs

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell(c), Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy

Canada (Playing XI): Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa(c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva(w), Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskaran Singh, Ansh Patel. (ANI)

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