The Black Caps head into this game having had their Super Eight opener against Pakistan abandoned due to persistent rain, which left both teams sharing a point.
Ever since Gautam Gambhir took charge of team selection, the strategy has leaned heavily toward including all-rounders.
India will be desperate to make a strong comeback against Zimbabwe on Thursday after the heavy 76-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in their Super 8 opener in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will feature in Semi-final 1 in Colombo on March 4. In that scenario, Colombo becomes the confirmed venue for the fixture.
There will also be a refund in case Sri Lanka qualify and play their semi-final against any other team apart from India.
Middle-order batter Rinku Singh on Tuesday returned home, owing to an emergency situation in the family, BCCI sources informed PTI.
Pakistan have just 1 point sin 2 games now with their game against Sri Lanka a must win match for them in order to get that 2nd semis spot.
England head into the contest high on confidence after securing an emphatic 51-run win over Sri Lanka.
England will aim to take one step closer to semifinal qualification with a win over Pakistan today
The toss for the England vs Pakistan Super 8 match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will take place at 6.30 pm IST.
To qualify for the semi-finals of ICC T20 World Cup 2026, India need to win their remaining two matches - against Zimbabwe and West Indies - by big margins.
West Indies registered four comprehensive victories over Scotland, England, Nepal, and Italy to finish as group leaders.
England made the Super 8s after a tense couple of weeks that saw a 30-run loss to the West Indies and narrow wins over Nepal and Scotland.
Unbeaten in the group stage, Zimbabwe have relied heavily on a disciplined bowling unit and a dependable top order.
Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe will be hoping to keep their fairytale run going with a win over two-time champions West Indies in Mumbai
Across six matches, the average first-innings score has been around 160, suggesting that the surface has not played like the typically high-scoring IPL tracks at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
Asked about the biggest takeaway from the win last night, Miller found it tough to hide his glee at beating the team that is widely tipped to become the first to retain the trophy.
South Africa ended India's 12-match unbeaten run in the tournament with a commanding win, built around a composed partnership between Dewald Brevis and David Miller.
Asked about the key areas India would revisit, Ten Doeschate said the foremost challenge was adjusting to wickets that do not suit their usual style of play.
We thought the biggest threat was going to come from Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton and David Miller and that's why Sundar was picked ahead of Axar, says India assistant coach ten Doeschate