India vs Netherlands - T20 World Cup 2026 Match 36 Preview

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 - 7:00 PM IST
Live on Star Sports - JioCinema

India need just one more win to finish Group A unbeaten and march into Super 8s with momentum. After that Pakistan demolition job (175/7 beating them by 61 runs), Suryakumar Yadav's boys face a Netherlands side fighting mathematical elimination at cricket's biggest batting paradise.

Why This Game Matters

Forget the dead rubber talk. Ahmedabad has been insane - three matches, three 190+ first innings scores. India haven't played their best cricket yet but keep winning. SKY wants his heavy artillery (Abhishek, Kishan, Dube) to finally click together on this flat track.

BCCI batting coach Sitanshu Kotak yesterday: "No changes. We're peaking right now. This is our ground, our fans, our moment."

Netherlands? They got ripped apart by USA last week - 103 all out chasing 197. Bas de Leede's 3/37 was brave but their NRR sits at -1.35. They'd need to chase 250+ tonight just for theory.

Team News That Changes Everything

India stick with winners:

Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav/Arshdeep Singh

Big calls:

• Kuldeep OR Arshdeep? Dew makes spinners gold. Kuldeep's 2 wickets vs PAK edge it

• Abhishek Sharma bounces back - duck vs PAK but 92 off 46 balls in Syed Mushtaq warm-up

• Bumrah at home - his Gujarat Titans haunt this ground (6/14 best spans)

Netherlands throw kitchen sink:

Michael Levitt, Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (c/wk), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, Kyle Klein, Fred Klaassen

Their hope: De Leede (52 runs, 5 wickets this WC). Everything else crumbles.

Pitch Talk - Batsmen's Dream

Stat	Ahmedabad T20WC 2026	Impact Tonight
Avg 1st innings	192/6 (3 matches)	200+ certain
Boundary count	72 in 60 overs	Short squares
Dew factor	Team batting 2nd won 100%	Bowl first!
Highest total	India's 208/4 (practice)	Tonight's target?

Local insight: Fresh black-soil pitch. True bounce, no cracks. Bowlers pray for early wickets.

Form That Tells The Story

India (5-0 Group A):
Kishan 52, SKY 32*, Hardik 2/20, Axar 2/18 vs PAK. Clinical. Scary when they click fully.

Netherlands (1-3):
103 all out vs USA. O'Dowd 13, Edwards 20. De Leede carried alone.

T20I H2H: India 1-0 (2022 Sydney - Kohli 62*, NED 123 all out)

Dream11 Must-Picks (Captaincy Gold)

1. Jasprit Bumrah (9cr) - Ahmedabad = his playground

2. Suryakumar Yadav (8.5cr) - Spin destroyer (SR 182 here)

3. Ishan Kishan (8cr) - 50 vs PAK, opens floodgates

4. Axar Patel (8cr) - Babar Azam scalp last game

5. Bas de Leede (7.5cr) - Only Dutch batter worth credits

Grand League punt: Abhishek Sharma. Duck last game = hungry.

Battlegrounds That Win Matches

BUMRAH vs O'DOWD = Powerplay killer (2 balls max) SKY vs Aryan Dutt = Legspin vs World's #3 T20I batter HARDIK vs Edwards = Death over chaos

What The Players Are Saying

Jasprit Bumrah (post-PAK): "Ahmedabad pitch? Perfect bowling length exists. Dew helps batsmen later. We hunt early."

Scott Edwards (Netherlands captain): "India are World #1 for reason. But we beat South Africa last year. Fight starts at toss."

Predicted Lineups & Toss Impact

TOSS: Bowl first. Dew turns chases into processions.

India 215/5 (SKY 65, Kishan 48, Dube 35*)
Netherlands 158/8 (De Leede 42, Edwards 28; Bumrah 3/28)

Win Probability: India 93% | Netherlands 7%

How To Watch Live

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⏰ Toss: 6:30 PM IST

Follow Live Score: https://www.thecricbuzz.com/live-score