Match overview
India Cricket beat Netherlands Cricket by 17 runs in a T20 international at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on 18 February 2026. India won the toss, chose to bat, and finished on 193/6. Netherlands gave chase with purpose, eventually closing on 176/7, but never quite got within striking distance after a slow start in the powerplay. Shivam Dube was named Player of the Match. The result extends India's perfect record against Netherlands in T20Is to five wins from five meetings.
India's innings was built in phases. The powerplay brought 51 runs for 2 wickets, a decent enough platform but below the venue's historical average of 43 runs per powerplay. The middle overs added 67 more for 2 wickets, steady rather than spectacular. The real acceleration came at the death: 75 runs from the final phase pushed India to a total that, given the ground's average first-innings score of 206, was competitive but not imposing.
Netherlands' reply had a different shape. Their powerplay produced only 36 runs for 1 wicket, a conservative start that put pressure on everything that followed. The middle overs were their best period: 82 runs at the cost of 4 wickets kept the required rate manageable. In the end, though, 58 runs from the death overs was not enough, and they finished 17 short.
Venue and conditions
Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest cricket ground in the world by capacity, and it has hosted 95 T20 matches in our records. The average first-innings score across those games is 206; the average second-innings score is 196. Both teams in this fixture scored below those averages, which points either to a surface offering more help to the bowlers than usual, or to particularly disciplined spells in the field.
The ground's average powerplay score is 43 runs, meaning India's 51 slightly outpaced the norm, whilst Netherlands' 36 fell well short. Death-overs scoring here averages 38 runs per innings, so India's 75 was a significant outperformance in that phase. Teams batting second have won 53 per cent of completed matches at the venue, making Ahmedabad broadly balanced, though the toss is worth having given the dew that can factor in during evening fixtures.
Spin has historically been a weapon here, as the records of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel at this ground demonstrate. A surface that assists turn in the longer formats tends to slow the middle-overs scoring in T20s too, which may partly explain why Netherlands' most productive phase came precisely in the middle of their chase.
How to watch
UK viewers can follow India's T20 international fixtures on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming available through Sky Go and the NOW TV streaming service. For those without a Sky subscription, the NOW TV day pass offers a flexible way to access the coverage. Broadcast schedules and commentary teams are listed on Sky Sports' website ahead of each fixture.
For ICC tournament fixtures involving England or Wales, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra typically provides live audio commentary. Check the BBC Sounds app for the schedule if you prefer radio coverage.
Recent form
India arrived in Ahmedabad on the back of four wins from five matches in 2026, with victories over Pakistan, Namibia, USA, and New Zealand, alongside a single loss to New Zealand. That run indicates a squad in decent rhythm, even if the defeat to New Zealand provided a reminder that they are not without vulnerabilities.
Netherlands' 2026 form was more mixed. A win over Namibia sat alongside losses to USA, Pakistan, and a no-result against Bangladesh in 2025. Their ability to score 176 in a chase against India represents one of the stronger batting efforts in their recent calendar, and the 82-run middle-overs phase in particular is a sign that their batting group has more capability than their overall results might suggest. For Netherlands, closing the gap to a single-digit margin, or better, will require a more productive powerplay phase than they managed here.
