Axar Patel and India - (Source: X.com)On Wednesday, February 18, India locked horns against Netherlands for their last T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match. For the dead-rubber game, the Men in Blue made two changes to their playing XI and excluded Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav from their playing XI.Changes were expected for the final match, but to see Axar missing out, sent a shockwave among fans and it also sparked injury concerns among the fans. Meanwhile, this article will shed light on the reason why Axar and Kuldeep are not playing today and why they have been replaced by Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI.Why are Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav not playing India vs Netherlands match?The fans should not worry because the decision to rest Axar and Kuldeep is purely tactical. Notably, Axar has played three straight games and the Men in Blue want their star all-rounder to be fit and energetic for the Super 8 round, which begins from February 21. Further, Washington Sundar, who has not played any form of cricket since 1st ODI vs New Zealand in January, has been presented a chance in the dead-rubber, so that all of the squad members have game time in hand when they enter the Super 8. Therefore, the management has killed two birds with one stone - giving game time to Washi and managing Axar's workload.Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, was not the first choice for the management, but got a game time against Pakistan because of the venue. Notably, India travelled to Colombo, where the Premadasa Stadium surface favoured the spinners, which is why Kuldeep was added to the playing XI.However, India have returned to home leg, which has also marked the return of Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI. Notably, Singh has played two matches in this series, but was left out of the playing XI against Pakistan to accomodate three spinners in the team. How Have Axar and Kuldeep performed in T20 World Cup 2026?Kuldeep Yadav was presented with a solitary performance in this World Cup when he registered the figures of 1/14 in his three overs. Meanwhile, Axar, on the other hand, has struggled with the bat and scored 14 runs in three innings, which includes two ducks. However, with the ball, he has been clinical and took six wickets in three innings, bowling with an economy of 6.64. Axar's absence will be felt by India, but Sundar has the perfect opportunity to prove his mettle.India's Playing XI vs NetherlandsIndia Playing XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep SinghTalking about the ongoing match, India have got off to the worst possible start as Abhishek Sharma scored his third duck of the tournament and India are reduced to 3/1 after 1st over.
