New Delhi: India defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their Super 8 match of theT20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, February 26. With this win, the Men in Blue keep their semifinal hopes alive as their net run-rate came down to -0.100 from -3.80.

But it won’t matter after South Africa’s emphatic win against the West Indies. Both India and the West Indies are currently on two points in Group 1, and Sunday’s clash between the two sides will be a virtual quarterfinal, with the winning team sealing a spot in the semis.

Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma smashed fifties as India eliminated Zimbabwe from the T20 World Cup 2026. The Men in Blue posted their highest total (256/4) in T20 World Cup history after being asked to bat first. This is also the second-highest total of the tournament’s history after Sri Lanka’s 260/6 against Kenya in 2007.

Chasing the target, Brian Bennett smashed but other batters failed to make a significant contribution as Zimbabwe only managed to score 170/6 in 20 overs. Bennett forged a 44-run opening partnership with Tadiwanashe Marumani as the Indian bowlers struggled to take wickets.

Axar Patel removed Marumani for 20 after the powerplay, while Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Dion Myers for 6 runs. Bennett then stitched a 72-run partnership with Sikandar Raza for the third wicket. Just when they tried to shift gears in the massive run-chase, Arshdeep Singh removed Raza (31) and Ryan Burl in the same over.

Bennett smashed an unbeaten 86 runs off 56 balls, hitting seven boundaries and five maximums, but Zimbabwe lost the match by a big margin.

Earlier, Abhishek Sharma stitched a 48-run opening partnership with Sanju Samson for the first wicket. Samson smashed 24 runs off 15 balls as Abhishek took some time to settle in. After Samson’s dismissal, Abhishek took charge and hammered Zimbabwe bowlers as India scored 80/1 in powerplay.

The 25-year-old was involved in two excellent partnerships— a 48 for the opening wicket with Sanju Samson and then a 72 off 42 balls with Ishan Kishan (38) for the following wicket — that gave the hosts a strong platform. He forged a 72-run partnership for the third wicket with Ishan Kishan, who also scored 38 off 24.

Abhishek completed his half-century off just 26 balls and was removed by Maposa for 55 runs in the 13th over. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav also scored a quickfire 33 runs off 13 balls. Hardik Pandya (50*) and Tilak Varma (44*) then forged an unbeaten 84-run stand for the fifth wicket as India posted a huge total on the board.

India will now face the West Indies in a semifinal decider at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1.