Chennai, February 27: In a stunning opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026, Team India triumphed over Zimbabwe by 72 runs. The match took place at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, where Zimbabwe’s fast bowler, Tinotenda Maposa, faced a humiliating moment by setting a record for the second most expensive over in a T20 World Cup debut.
Maposa conceded 23 runs in his first over, which was also the third over of the Indian innings. This over included a no-ball and two wides, with Sanju Samson hitting a six and two fours off his bowling.
The record for the most expensive over in a T20 World Cup debut is held by Steve Tikolo, who gave away 25 runs against Sri Lanka in 2007.
After losing the toss, India batted first, scoring 256 runs for the loss of four wickets in their 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma led the charge with an impressive 55 runs off just 30 balls. Hardik Pandya contributed significantly, smashing 50 runs in just 23 balls, while Tilak Varma added a quick-fire 44 runs off 16 balls in the final overs.
Chasing a target of 257 runs, Zimbabwe managed to score only 184 runs, losing six wickets in the process. Brian Bennett was the standout performer for Zimbabwe, scoring 97 runs off 59 balls, but lacked support from his teammates. For India, Arshdeep Singh excelled with the ball, taking three wickets for just 24 runs in four overs, while Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel each claimed one wicket.
