Canada’s teenage sensation Yuvraj Samra smashed a brilliant hundred, but it wasn’t enough to stop New Zealand from crushing them by eight wickets in their T20 World Cup 2026 showdown in Chennai. The Kiwis made light work of chasing down 175, bouncing back from losing Tim Seifert and Finn Allen early to reach the target with 29 balls remaining, thanks to fantastic fifties from Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra. This victory booked New Zealand’s spot in the Super Eight round.
Before that, Samra absolutely destroyed the T20 World Cup record books with an incredible innings that helped Canada reach 173/4 against New Zealand. The teenager made history by becoming the youngest player (19 years, 141 days) to hit a ton in the competition, blasting 110 from 65 deliveries. Samra built an amazing 114-run opening partnership with skipper Dilpreet Bajwa, who struggled to 36 from 39 balls. Ravindra And Phillips Secure Spot In Super 8 .
TOSS-
Canada won the toss and decided to bat first
PLAYING XI-
New Zealand (Playing XI):
Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell(c), Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy
Canada (Playing XI):
Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa(c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva(w), Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskaran Singh, Ansh Patel
CANADA-
Canada had plenty to smile about during an incredible afternoon thanks to 19-year-old Samra’s heroics. He built a massive 116-run opening stand with captain Dilpreet Bajwa, though Bajwa managed only 36 from 39 balls in that partnership. Samra came out swinging from the start, hammering James Neesham for 4 4 4 6 in the sixth over.
The Kiwis managed to slow things down during the middle phase, but Samra completely destroyed Cole McConchie in the 13th over, launching two sixes and a boundary. Kyle Jamieson finally broke the opening stand by dismissing Bajwa, yet Canada still managed to pile on 57 runs in the final six overs. Samra did most of the damage and reached his historic century in the 17th over, getting there in just 58 balls. Matt Henry, Neesham and Jacob Duffy grabbed wickets at the end as Canada finished on 173/4, but it ultimately fell short.
NEW ZEALAND-
First, we will discuss the chase itself and examine it further. Moreover, despite Samra’s century, the target itself was perhaps below average for New Zealand in an afternoon match in Chennai, and this further reduced their chances. As per the recent match records, USA made 199 runs for 6 wickets regarding their first batting innings just two days back. As per the similar match against UAE, New Zealand chased down 175 runs in the 16th over regarding their complete team performance with all 10 wickets remaining. On Tuesday afternoon, a familiar pattern actually played out, even though Canada definitely scored twice early. Finn Allen and Tim Seifert actually started in their usual way, definitely reaching 29/0 in 2 overs.
Left-arm spinner Saad Bin Zafar created the first problem by getting Seifert caught at mid-off in the third over. Moreover, this dismissal disrupted the batting team’s early momentum. We are seeing that Dilon Heyliger only sent Allen away from there. On the first ball of the fourth over, Allen surely tried to flick the ball towards the leg side, but the ball stopped a bit on the pitch. Moreover, it went off his leading edge instead of the middle of the bat. Basically, Shivam Sharma ran forward at cover and caught the ball just before it touched the ground, the same way fielders take low catches. Allen was surely dismissed after the TV umpire made the decision. Moreover, the on-field umpire needed this technology assistance to send him back to the pavilion. At 30/2, Canada actually hoped they could trouble New Zealand more and create some worry in their team, but Phillips and Ravindra definitely stopped those plans completely.
As per the match progress, they first pulled the team to 60/2 by PowerPlay end and kept hitting fours and sixes regarding the middle-overs too. As per the match progress, they kept scoring 10 runs per over and took New Zealand to 106/2 at the halfway point. Phillips actually became New Zealand’s fastest player to score fifty runs in T20 World Cups, definitely reaching this mark in just 22 balls. Canada bowlers could not stop the boundaries further as Ravindra itself continued to score runs. By the 12th over, they actually completed their 100-run partnership. Ravindra definitely reached his fifty with a six on the first ball of the 15th over. As per the match details, Phillips and Ravindra hit eight fours and nine sixes together and finished the chase in the middle of the 16th over.
Brief Scores:
Canada actually scored 173 runs losing 4 wickets in 20 overs with Yuvraj Samra making 110 runs, but New Zealand definitely won by 8 wickets. New Zealand chased the target in just 15.1 overs with Glenn Phillips scoring 76 and Rachin Ravindra making 59 runs.
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