Match Details
Commentary
South Africa (Probable XI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Canada (Probable XI): Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Yuvraj Samra, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva, Kanwarpal Tathgur (wk), Jaskaran Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana
Preview by Mohammad Anab
South Africa suffered a big heartbreak after they lost the T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados against India by a mere seven runs. The Proteas looked well-set to win that clash but the infamous tag of 'Chokers' came back to haunt them and they stumbled at the final stages of the game.
However, winning the ICC Test Championship in 2025 has managed to erase a lot of those bad memories. However, the hardcore Proteas fans will still want their team to go one step ahead in this World Cup. They will keenly watch the side as it starts its campaign against an associate nation, Canada, in a Group D clash at the 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Monday evening.
Some changes have been made in the original Proteas WC squad. Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira have got injured and they have been replaced by Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs, respectively. Their inclusion has made the squad look even stronger on paper.
Captain Aiden Markram leads a balanced squad boasting explosive batting firepower through Quinton de Kock (who has maintained a strike-rate of 189.65 since the start of 2025) and the extraordinarily talented batter Dewald Brevis, supported by a potent bowling unit featuring Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada. Depth across departments remains a key strength, with players like Jason Smith offering middle-order impetus and Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch providing pace and bounce with the ball, along with hitting in the slog overs. Notably, the most experienced player in the squad is David Miller. The left-handed batter played his first T20 WC back in 2014 in Bangladesh.
However, people are still surprised that why pacer Ottneil Baartman wasn't picked despite being the highest wicket-taker of the SA20 2025-26. Nine of the 15 who were part of the 2024 squad are back again. The biggest loss is of Heinrich Klaasen, who has retired from international cricket and hence was not available for selection.
South Africa, who are ranked fifth in the T20I rankings, have played all T20 WCs so far. Even hosting the inaugural edition in 2007. They haven't had the privilege to lift the title yet and have only reached the final once (in 2024). Since then, South Africa have won only a dozen of their 32 T20Is, which doesn't justify the talent of their squad. Notably, their winning percentage gets even poorer when it comes to the T20Is played in the subcontinent.
Before the WC, the side played a three-match home series against West Indies, which they won 2-1. Rickelton and de Kock scored the most for South Africa, while spinner Maharaj was the leading wicket-taker of the series with 5 scalps.
The only warm-up game they played ahead of this WC was against India. The Proteas lost that game by 30 runs after they failed to chase down a target of 241. However, there were some positive signs with the bat as Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton and Marco Jansen looked in good touch.
On the other hand, Canada is coming into this World Cup after a change in captaincy at the last moment. Dilpreet Singh Bajwa takes over the reins from Nicholas Kirton. However, the latter is still part of the squad.
The Canadian squad blends experience with emerging talent. Players such as Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, and Saad Bin Zafar are expected to provide stability, while the presence of Ravinderpal Singh and spin options like Ansh Patel adds variety. Eyes will also be on hard-hitting batter Yuvraj Samra, who holds the record for the fastest fifty (in 15 balls) for a Canadian player.
Canada head into the tournament after a four-month absence from international cricket. The last T20I they played was during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Region Final held in July 2025. In that qualifiers, Canada came first in the points table over three other teams, namely Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Bahamas, and hence qualified for the T20 WC 2026. Offie Shivam Sharma was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament while Yuvraj was the second-highest run-scorer.
The 19th-ranked Canada played two warm-up games and lost both of them. In the first one against Italy, they failed to chase down a target of 157 and lost by 10 runs. In the second one against Nepal, they failed to defend their score of 161/6 and lost six wickets with two overs to spare.
Despite featuring in multiple editions of the ODI WC, Canada's debut in the T20 WC came in 2024. During that edition, Canada got eliminated in the group stage itself but they did manage win against Ireland.
Interestingly, South Africa have never played against Canada in a T20I. The only international game they have played against each other is an ODI game that happened in the 2003 World Cup.
Can Canada create an upset and defeat a strong Proteas side? Join us at 6 PM IST & local time on Monday for the live coverage.
South Africa suffered a big heartbreak after they lost the T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados against India by a mere seven runs. The Proteas looked well-set to win that clash but the infamous tag of 'Chokers' came back to haunt them and they stumbled at the final stages of the game.
However, winning the ICC Test Championship in 2025 has managed to erase a lot of those bad memories. However, the hardcore Proteas fans will still want their team to go one step ahead in this World Cup. They will keenly watch the side as it starts its campaign against an associate nation, Canada, in a Group D clash at the 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Monday evening.
Some changes have been made in the original Proteas WC squad. Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira have got injured and they have been replaced by Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs, respectively. Their inclusion has made the squad look even stronger on paper.
Captain Aiden Markram leads a balanced squad boasting explosive batting firepower through Quinton de Kock (who has maintained a strike-rate of 189.65 since the start of 2025) and the extraordinarily talented batter Dewald Brevis, supported by a potent bowling unit featuring Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada. Depth across departments remains a key strength, with players like Jason Smith offering middle-order impetus and Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch providing pace and bounce with the ball, along with hitting in the slog overs. Notably, the most experienced player in the squad is David Miller. The left-handed batter played his first T20 WC back in 2014 in Bangladesh.
However, people are still surprised that why pacer Ottneil Baartman wasn't picked despite being the highest wicket-taker of the SA20 2025-26. Nine of the 15 who were part of the 2024 squad are back again. The biggest loss is of Heinrich Klaasen, who has retired from international cricket and hence was not available for selection.
South Africa, who are ranked fifth in the T20I rankings, have played all T20 WCs so far. Even hosting the inaugural edition in 2007. They haven't had the privilege to lift the title yet and have only reached the final once (in 2024). Since then, South Africa have won only a dozen of their 32 T20Is, which doesn't justify the talent of their squad. Notably, their winning percentage gets even poorer when it comes to the T20Is played in the subcontinent.
Before the WC, the side played a three-match home series against West Indies, which they won 2-1. Rickelton and de Kock scored the most for South Africa, while spinner Maharaj was the leading wicket-taker of the series with 5 scalps.
The only warm-up game they played ahead of this WC was against India. The Proteas lost that game by 30 runs after they failed to chase down a target of 241. However, there were some positive signs with the bat as Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton and Marco Jansen looked in good touch.
On the other hand, Canada is coming into this World Cup after a change in captaincy at the last moment. Dilpreet Singh Bajwa takes over the reins from Nicholas Kirton. However, the latter is still part of the squad.
The Canadian squad blends experience with emerging talent. Players such as Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, and Saad Bin Zafar are expected to provide stability, while the presence of Ravinderpal Singh and spin options like Ansh Patel adds variety. Eyes will also be on hard-hitting batter Yuvraj Samra, who holds the record for the fastest fifty (in 15 balls) for a Canadian player.
Canada head into the tournament after a four-month absence from international cricket. The last T20I they played was during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Region Final held in July 2025. In that qualifiers, Canada came first in the points table over three other teams, namely Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Bahamas, and hence qualified for the T20 WC 2026. Offie Shivam Sharma was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament while Yuvraj was the second-highest run-scorer.
The 19th-ranked Canada played two warm-up games and lost both of them. In the first one against Italy, they failed to chase down a target of 157 and lost by 10 runs. In the second one against Nepal, they failed to defend their score of 161/6 and lost six wickets with two overs to spare.
Despite featuring in multiple editions of the ODI WC, Canada's debut in the T20 WC came in 2024. During that edition, Canada got eliminated in the group stage itself but they did manage win against Ireland.
Interestingly, South Africa have never played against Canada in a T20I. The only international game they have played against each other is an ODI game that happened in the 2003 World Cup.
Can Canada create an upset and defeat a strong Proteas side? Join us at 6 PM IST & local time on Monday for the live coverage.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Jason Smith, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Tristan Stubbs, Kwena Maphaka
Canada Squad: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Yuvraj Samra, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Kanwarpal Tathgur, Jaskaran Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel, Ajayveer Hundal, Ravinderpal Singh, Harsh Thaker