ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 36: India vs Netherlands | Preview and Predictions

After securing their place in the Super Eight following a commanding win over Pakistan, defending champions India will look to head to the next stage with a flawless record.

Going up against the Men in Blue here are the Netherlands, who will be aiming to finish their campaign on a high. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 36 of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 | Match 36: IND vs NED | 19:00, February 18, 2026

The defending champions are once again looking like the side to beat. Suryakumar Yadav and Co have had a flawless run so far in the World Cup and will be looking to fix whatever small chinks they have in their armour here against the Dutch.

Abhishek Sharma returned from illness for the Pakistan game but scored his second duck in as many games. His form is one of India’s handful of concerns. Barring Sharma’s form, though, the remainder of the batters have stepped up whenever needed, with Ishan Kishan looking in good nick. India will hope Sharma gets back among the runs in the final Group Stage game, while also hoping that their lower-order batters get some time in the middle.

The co-hosts’ bowling unit has been clinical, coming in with regular breakthroughs with the new ball before spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel choke the opponents in the middle overs.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, started their campaign with a narrow loss to Pakistan but hit back with a comfortable win over Namibia, before a big defeat to the US sealed their fate.

Batting has been the biggest issue for the Dutch, as they have struggled against the spinning and gripping ball. Against the strong spin attack of India, they will be put to the test again.

The Dutch bowlers haven’t been able to provide regular breakthroughs either, which has been another key factor in ensuring they don’t go past the first stage.

The Narendra Modi Stadium has seen runs in this tournament. Expect runs on the board again, especially if the hosts bat first.

We expect Team India to close out their group stage campaign with a win over the Netherlands.  

Fantasy XI: Abhishek Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy (vc), Arshdeep Singh, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Winners Prediction: India