T20 World Cup 2026: South Africa Faces Afghanistan in Crucial Group-D Clash in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad. The 13th match of the T20 World Cup 2026 will be played today between South Africa and Afghanistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will start at 11:15 AM.

Both teams are in Group-D, and this match is considered very important for the Super-8 race. In the previous T20 World Cup 2024, South Africa defeated Afghanistan to knock them out of the tournament.

The first semi-final between the two teams saw South Africa bowl Afghanistan out for just 56 runs. Following that, the South African team completed the target in the 9th over, registering a one-sided victory.

• Afghanistan Defeated in First Match

Winning this match is very important for Afghanistan, as the team suffered a defeat against New Zealand in their first game. In such a scenario, a loss in this match could make their path to the Super-8 difficult.

On the other hand, South Africa made a spectacular start to the tournament with a victory against Canada, in which Captain Aiden Markram and David Miller made significant contributions.

The team scored a tournament-best 213 runs. If South Africa succeeds in winning this match, their chances of qualifying for the Super-8 will become much easier.

• Afghanistan Never Beat South Africa

A total of 3 T20 International matches have been played between South Africa and Afghanistan so far. South Africa has won all these matches, maintaining its dominance.

Afghanistan has not managed a single victory against South Africa yet. All three matches were played in the World Cup (2010, 2016, and 2024).

• Performance of Markram and Ngidi

South Africa's captain Aiden Markram scored 59 runs off 32 balls against Canada. He wants to give the team a good start once again.

Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi took 4 wickets for 31 runs in that match. Furthermore, Rassie van der Dussen has scored the most runs for the team since the previous World Cup.

Interesting Facts 

• Quinton de Kock is just 61 runs away from achieving a major milestone in T20 International cricket. He can become the first South African batsman to complete 3000 T20 International runs.

• Afghanistan's star spinner Rashid Khan is close to another major achievement in his career. Rashid has taken 697 wickets in T20 cricket so far and needs just 3 more wickets to complete 700 wickets.

Expectations from Gulbadin Naib Again

Afghanistan's Gulbadin Naib scored 63 runs off 35 balls in his last match against New Zealand. Mujeeb Ur Rahman took the most wickets with 2. Ibrahim Zadran is the team's top scorer since the previous World Cup.

• Pitch Report

The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium is favorable for batting. High-scoring games usually take place here. So far, 9 T20 International matches have been played here. Of these, teams batting first have won 6 matches, and teams chasing have won 3 matches. 

Scores exceeding 220 in the first innings have been recorded here 3 times. The average first innings score here is 191.

• Weather Conditions

The weather in Ahmedabad will be hot. The sky will be clear and sunny during the day, which might lead to slightly higher temperatures. 

The weather will be slightly cooler in the evening. There is no chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be between 18 and 33 degrees Celsius.

Probable Playing-11

• Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (Captain), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ziaur Rahman, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

• South Africa: Aiden Markram (Captain), Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, and Lungi Ngidi.