The first finalist of T20 World Cup will be found today, a great match is going to be held in Kolkata, know the pitch and weather report.

T20 World Cup 2026: The first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 will be played on March 4 at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. South Africa has been the only team in this tournament which has won all its matches so far. At the same time, New Zealand has also made a place in the last four with a strong performance under the captaincy of Mitchell Santner.

South Africa’s strength

• The Proteas team has reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup for the fifth time.
• Aiden Markram is in great form scoring 268 runs (strike rate 175) in 7 matches.
• Ryan Rickelton has added 228 runs (SR 171).
• Quinton de Kock has given a fast start to the team by scoring 171 runs.
• In bowling, Lungi Ngidi has been most successful by taking 12 wickets in 6 matches, while Corbin Bosch has taken 11 wickets.
• Keshav Maharaj has played an important role in spin.

new zealand situation

• New Zealand could register only one win in the Super-8, but reached the semi-finals on the basis of net run rate and other results.
• Tim Seifert is the team’s top scorer with 216 runs (SR 157) in 6 matches.
• Rachin Ravindra has performed all-round by taking 9 wickets with 115 runs.
• There will be huge expectations from captain Mitchell Santner in spin.

Head-to-head record

There have been 19 matches between the two teams in T20 International-

South Africa: 12 wins

New Zealand: 7 win

There have been 5 matches between the two in the T20 World Cup history and South Africa has won all of them. New Zealand has not been able to defeat the Proteas in the World Cup so far.

pitch and weather report

The pitch at Eden Gardens is generally favorable for the batsmen. Here the average score of the first innings is 162 runs and that of the second innings is 143 runs. The ball comes well on the bat, due to which big shots can be seen. The weather is expected to remain clear. The probability of rain is very less. The maximum temperature can be around 33°C and the minimum around 20°C.

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Probable Playing XI

South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brewis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jensen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.

New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie/James Neesham, Matt Henry/Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson