New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner (Source: AFP)New Zealand are taking on Canada in their fourth and last group-stage fixture without the regular skipper Mitchell Santner. Veteran batting all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is leading the Blackcaps as stand-in skipper in the tournament’s 31st game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Notably, New Zealand have played quite decently under Mitchell Santner’s leadership in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. They are placed at the second spot in the Group D points table, with two wins and a defeat in three games so far. However, Mitchell Santner has been in a struggling run of form as a player in the tournament’s current edition. The veteran bowling all-rounder has picked just one wicket in three games he has played, while scoring just 21 runs in two innings. Why is Mitchell Santner not playing today?Meanwhile, New Zealand’s stand-in captain, Daryl Mitchell, clarified the reason behind Mitchell Santner’s absence from the match against Canada. During the toss, Mitchell revealed that the Kiwi skipper had fallen prey to food poisoning just a day before the game, which prompted the former to take up the leadership role.“Mitch [Santner] had a bit of a dodgy burger last night, so he is not feeling too great today. So hopefully he's good to go in 24 hours,” said Daryl Mitchell at the toss while speaking about him replacing his regular skipper in the captaincy role.As per Daryl Mitchell’s confirmation, Santner is expected to return to the New Zealand playing XI in the super-8 round if they advance to the next round with a win against Canada in their last group-stage fixture. Notably, it is the first-ever T20 World Cup as New Zealand captain for Mitchell Santner in his more than a decade-long T20I career. Including the Blackcaps’ first three games in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Santner has led them in 48 games, registering 26 wins and 17 defeats alongside five no-result games. Speaking of Santner’s performances as captain for New Zealand, he has scalped 43 wickets in 45 innings, including a four-wicket haul. Besides that, he has scored 494 runs in 30 innings at an average of 29.05, hitting two half-centuries. New Zealand's Super-8 hopes face dent amidst unavailabilty of key players In what seems to be a big setback for the Blackcaps, the senior pacer Lockie Ferguson is also unavailable to be a part of playing XI. He flew back to New Zealand due to the family commitments in the middle of the tournament. His replacement in the squad hasn't been announced by the team management. With the absence of key players in the form of Santner and Ferguson, New Zealand's attack has weakened, which is a big blow for their Super-8 hopes. New Zealand are currently in the second spot on the Group D points table, following the table toppers, South Africa. With two wins and a defeat in their three games so far, the Kiwis just need to beat Canada to secure a spot in the tournament’s super-8 stage. If Canada upsets New Zealand and Group D’s third-placed team, Afghanistan, wins its next game against Canada, the qualification scenario might get complicated for the Blackcaps. From Group D, South Africa became the first team to qualify for the Super-8 after a seven-wicket win against New Zealand in their third group-stage game.
