IND vs NZ: Why did Cole McConchie miss T20 World Cup 2026 final?
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Cole McConchie was part of New Zealand’s playing XI in the semi-final against South Africa.
India and New Zealand are squaring off in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026, which got underway on Sunday, March 8, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Indian team suffered a major blow at the start as they lost the toss.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to field first. At the toss, Suryakumar informed that India have retained the same playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026 final.
On the other hand, Santner revealed that spin all-rounder Cole McConchie was not part of their playing XI. The bowling all-rounder featured in the semi-final against South Africa, where he also clinched two crucial wickets. The Black Caps made just one change to their playing XI.
Jacob Duffy picked in place of Cole McConchie in T20 World Cup 2026 final
Notably, the Kiwis have dropped McConchie in the clash and added Jacob Duffy to the playing XI. The decision to include an additional fast bowler in the team in place of an off-spinner has probably been taken after looking at the Ahmedabad pitch.
McConchie has played in four games in the tournament, scoring 45 runs including a highest score of unbeaten 31 runs. With his off-spin, he clinched two wickets at an economy of 9.50. He clinched a two-wicket haul against South Africa in the semi-final but went wicketless in the other three encounters.
Speaking at the toss, Santner said: “We are going to bowl first. Looks pretty good. We will see if it does anything and try and restrict them to a chasable score. Boys are good. This is why we are playing. It did. Great occasion, the semifinal and the guys will take confidence from that. This is biggest stage and everyone is ready. No McConchie, Duffy is playing”.
India’s Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand’s Playing XI: Tim Seifert (w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (C), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
Why is Cole McConchie not part of New Zealand’s playing XI in the T20 World Cup 2026 final?
New Zealand have dropped Cole McConchie in the clash and picked Jacob Duffy.
Who won the toss in the IND vs NZ T20 World Cup 2026 final?
New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first.
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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.