Netherlands Choose to Bowl First Against USA in T20 World Cup

In the inaugural night match of the T20 World Cup 2026 held in Chennai, the Netherlands elected to bowl first against the United States, making an important decision as the game is critical for the USA's hopes of advancing further in the tournament. The Netherlands, having earned two points from their previous win against Namibia, made one substitution: Kyle Klein was included in the lineup as a replacement for Timm van der Gugten. Klein had participated in the opening match against Pakistan, whereas van der Gugten performed in the previous game but struggled, conceding 21 runs in just two overs.

The USA, facing a must-win scenario, made three adjustments to their team. Ali Khan returned from injury, having missed the earlier match against India. Alongside Khan, Saiteja Mukkamalla and Nosthush Kenjige were brought into the squad, replacing Andries Gous, Ehsan Adil, and Saurabh Netravalkar, respectively.

The complete lineup for the USA features captain Monank Patel, wicket-keeper Shayan Jahangir, and players such as Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi. Patel expressed the need for his top-order batters to adopt a more cautious approach at the beginning, suggesting they should focus on settling in for the first five to ten deliveries rather than attempting aggressive shots immediately.

Conditions at the venue were described as 'quite chilly' by commentator Ian Bishop, with temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius and indications that it could drop further with the prevalent humidity.

The two teams' formations are as follows:

USA: 1. Monank Patel (captain), 2. Shayan Jahangir (wicket-keeper), 3. Saiteja Mukkamalla, 4. Milind Kumar, 5. Sanjay Krishnamurthi, 6. Shubham Ranjane, 7. Harmeet Singh, 8. Mohammad Mohsin, 9. Shadley van Schalkwyk, 10. Nosthush Kenjige, 11. Ali Khan.

Netherlands: 1. Michael Levitt, 2. Max O'Dowd, 3. Bas de Leede, 4. Colin Ackermann, 5. Scott Edwards (captain, wicket-keeper), 6. Zach Lion-Cachet, 7. Logan van Beek, 8. Aryan Dutt, 9. Roelof van der Merwe, 10. Kyle Klein, 11. Fred Klaassen.