IND vs NED: Why did Axar Patel & Kuldeep Yadav miss T20 World Cup 2026 match 36?
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
The IND vs NED match is taking place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
India and Netherlands are squaring off in their last group stage match in the T20 World Cup 2026, on February 18 (Wednesday). Both teams are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, and the USA.
The IND vs NED encounter is taking place at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. The clash is a dead rubber, as India have already qualified for Super 8 while the Netherlands have been eliminated. Pakistan became the second team from Group A to qualify for the Super 8.
Winning back-to-back games against the USA, Namibia, and Pakistan, Suryakumar Yadav & Co. became the first team to move into the next round from their pool. They grab the top spot in the points table with six points, and a victory against the Netherlands will retain their peak position.
Netherlands lost their opening game against Pakistan but won their next clash against Namibia. However, the Paul Stirling-led side lost their subsequent match against the USA, which ended their hopes of the Super 8.
The Netherlands have two points and take the fourth spot in the points table. They can finish in the third spot if they outplay the Men-in-Blue in the clash, but such a result is almost unlikely due to India’s supremacy at home and prowess in the tournament.
India won the toss and opted to bat first. At the toss of the IND vs NED clash, the Indian captain revealed that Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were not part of the encounter. Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh were inducted into the side.
Why are Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav not playing against the Netherlands?
Surya informed that Arshdeep replaced Kuldeep in the playing XI, while Axar was rested in the encounter. Notably, Kuldeep was added in the last game against Pakistan due to slow and spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka.
Since the match is now back in India, the team considered it appropriate to play a pacer instead of an extra spinner, Kuldeep.
“Every game there’s someone or the other raising their hand, taking the fight out, so it’s good to see. Hopefully a new Man of the Match tonight and then we go into the Super 8. We have two changes – Arshdeep comes in for Kuldeep, Axar is resting and Washington comes in”.
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan(w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
Netherlands (Playing XI): Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (w/c), Zach Lion-Cachet, Noah Croes, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein.
Why are Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav not part of the IND vs NED clash?
Axar was rested in the clash while Arshdeep Singh replaced Kuldeep.
What is the venue of the IND vs NED match of the T20 World Cup 2026?
The venue of the match is Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.