New Delhi, Feb 12 : India will take on Namibia in a Group A T20 World Cup 2026 clash at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, seeking a stronger performance after a narrow victory over the USA. The defending champions enter as favourites with an experienced squad, while Namibia aims to test themselves against a top-ranked side on the global stage.
India will monitor Abhishek Sharma’s recovery from a stomach infection and viral fever, with the team unlikely to risk him ahead of the key encounter against Pakistan. His absence may provide an opportunity for Sanju Samson to regain form after losing his spot to the in form Ishan Kishan. Assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate praised Samson’s preparation and attitude.
Namibia comes into the match after a loss to the Netherlands and will rely on captain Gerhard Erasmus and all-rounder JJ Smit to lead the team and guide younger players.
Match Details:
Date: 12th February 2026
Time: 7:00 pm IST
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh
Namibia Squad: Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Jan Balt, Zane Green (wk), Malan Kruger, Dylan Leicher, Lauren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, William Myburgh, JJ Smit, Jack Brassel, Max Heingo, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Ruben Trumpelmann
Probable Playing XI:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Lauren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, William Myburgh, JJ Smit, Jack Brassel, Max Heingo, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann
Head-to-Head Record:
India defeated Namibia by nine wickets in their only previous T20 World Cup encounter in 2021. Namibia also lost a recent warm-up match against India A ahead of the tournament.