T20 WC: Afghanistan aim to topple UAE in vital clash
15 Feb 2026

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is set to witness a vital Group D clash between Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 16.

The match will be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

This is Match 28 of the tournament, and both teams are looking for a win to boost their chances of progressing further.

Afghanistan desperate for win; UAE eye Super Eight spot
Team status

Afghanistan, the semi-finalists of the 2024 edition, have been struggling with two back-to-back defeats.

They lost their opening match against New Zealand and then faced a double Super Over loss against South Africa.

Hence, they must beat UAE to keep their Super Eight chances alive.

Meanwhile, the UAE are coming off a victory over Canada after losing their opener against New Zealand.

A win in this match could further bolster their chances of reaching the next stage.

Broadcast details and pitch report
Game specifics

The match between Afghanistan and the UAE, which will get underway at 11:00am IST, will be broadcasted on JioStar Network Channels and live-streamed on JioHotstar (App & Website).

Meanwhile, the pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium has been bowler-friendly, with plenty of opportunities to take wickets under pressure.

This trend is likely to continue in the upcoming match as well. Chasing sides have won two of the three games here in the ongoing event.

Here's the head-to-head record
H2H

In their 14 previous encounters, Afghanistan have won 11 times while UAE have emerged victorious on three occasions.

The last match between the two sides was played on September 5 last year, which saw the Afghan side prevail.

Meanwhile, the two teams will lock horns for the first time in a T20 WC match.

Here are the likely XIs
XIs

Afghanistan probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

UAE probable XI: Aryansh Sharma (wk), Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Mayank Kumar, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah.

Here are the key performers
Player spotlight

UAE captain Muhammad Waseem has hit the second-most sixes in T20I history - 193 sixes in 95 innings.

Junaid Siddique claimed a five-wicket haul versus Canada in his last outing.

With 190 wickets at a remarkable average of 13.72, Rashid Khan is currently the highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket.

Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a knock for the ages against South Africa earlier in the tourney - 84 off 42 balls.