Afghanistan vs New Zealand Preview & Prediction | 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup | Group Stage

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An intriguing encounter lies ahead between New Zealand and Afghanistan, two potential dark horses in this tournament.

Date & time:

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai, India

Weather: Lots of sunshine with temperatures touching 30c.

How to watch: UK – Sky Sports & Sky Go / USA – Willow TV

Tickets: Click here for the latest ticket information for New Zealand vs USA

Afghanistan vs New Zealand prediction

This has all the makings of being a very close contest between two dangerous teams. New Zealand are coming off the back of five T20i matches in India to prepare for this competition, whilst Afghanistan were 2-1 winners in a recent three-game set against West Indies in Sharjah. Rashid Khan’s side were particularly strong with the ball of those games, utilising their world class spinners such as Rashid himself to good effect. New Zealand may have been beaten 4-1 by India, but they gained crucial time out of the field, getting used to the sub-continental conditions and ironing things out as a unit.

Chepauk is a ground normally known for being a good one to bowl spin at. Home of the IPL’s Chennai Super Kings, recently it’s become more of a batting paradise and that definitely benefits New Zealand, although Afghanistan boasts by far the stronger spin-bowling attack. New Zealand will come into it as favourites but the value play appears to be backing Rashid’s men. This Afghanistan team are a hugely underrated one. They are capable of bowling any team out and whilst there may be an overreliance on the top order, should the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz come off with the bat, it could spell doom for the Black Caps.

Afghanistan vs New Zealand tip: Afghanistan to win