New Zealand Playing XI vs Afghanistan- T20 World Cup 2026, Match 4- No Conway, Seifert in

New Zealand Playing XI vs Afghanistan [Source: X]

New Zealand will take on Afghanistan in the fourth match of the T20 World Cup 2026. The match will be held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 8. The match will be live for fans from 11:00 AM IST.

New Zealand vs Afghanistan Preview

New Zealand will begin their campaign against Afghanistan after a commanding win overthe USA in the T20 World Cup warm-up match. However, the Mitchell Santner-led team will be having a headache after the 4-1 T20I series defeat against India and hence would like to improve on their performances.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, comes after two back-to-back wins in warm-up against Scotland and the West Indies. Ahead of the warm-up, they also won the West Indies T20I series 2-1, underlining their tone for the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

New Zealand Playing XI vs Afghanistan- Match 4, T20 World Cup 2026

Openers and Top Order: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman

New Zealand will be looking to give their opening pair duties to the explosive pair of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen. Both these batters have been in solid form with the bat in recent times and can give the team a blistering start.

Devon Conway will be signalled to the bench for this match since he averaged just 16 in the India T20I series. With him currently on the low side of his form, the batter might get a match later in the group stage.

Rachin Ravindra will take up the No. 3 spot with Mark Chapman following up. Chapman struck at 132.35 in India, and Rachin struck at 142.11 while also getting warm-up games ahead of the mega ICC event. Hence, this duo is poised to anchor any mishap at the top.

Middle Order and All Rounders: Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner

Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell will take up the No. 5 and No. 6 slots next. The destructive pair in the middle order is the base of middle over exploitation from the Kiwi side. 

While Phillips already boasts a strike rate of 153.04 @35.20 in 2026, Daryl Mitchell scored 125 runs at a strike rate of 186.57 in the India T20I series, Hence, being the perfect pair to accelerate the game in the middle.

Mitchell Santner, the skipper of the BlackCaps, will be coming in at No. 7. Santner has been in explosive form in T20Is as well. With the bat, Santner boasts a strike rate of 161.54 in the India T20I series while also being effective with the ball, with 5 wickets already in 2026.

Bowlers: James Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi

New Zealand will be opting for a three-man pace attack with Lockie Ferguson leading the battery. Jacob Duffy and James Neesham will also likely get a call-up in the Playing XI, given their recent form and ability to exploit the Chennai pitch.

Speaking of Chennai, Ish Sodhi will be the sole spin bowler in the frontline. Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips can chip in for the spin department if the outright pace attack fails in front of the Afghanistan batting attack.

New Zealand Playing XI vs Afghanistan- Match 4, T20 World Cup 2026- Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi