Canada Opt to Bat First Against UAE in Crucial T20 World Cup Clash

Canada won the toss and elected to bat first against the United Arab Emirates in their Group Stage match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in Delhi. Canadian captain Dilpreet Bajwa cited the good batting wicket and a desire to apply scoreboard pressure as reasons for his decision. UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem, who also wanted to bat, stated his team's focus is to restrict Canada to a low total and play their natural game. Both teams entered the match looking for their first victory of the tournament after losing their opening fixtures.

Key Points: Canada vs UAE T20 World Cup: Toss, Playing XI, Match Preview

  • Canada wins toss and bats first
  • Both teams lost opening matches
  • UAE makes two changes to playing XI
  • Match played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
2 min read

T20 World Cup: Canada win toss, opt to bat first against UAE

Canada wins toss, bats first against UAE. Both teams seek first win. Get match details, captain quotes, and full playing XIs from Delhi.

"s, and full playing XIs from Delhi.QUOTE: We just want to bat first and want to put pressure on them to chase. - Dilpreet Bajwa"

New Delhi, February 13

Canada have decided to bat first after winning the toss against the United Arab Emirates in their second group-stage match of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Friday.

Canada made no changes on their side; meanwhile, the UAE made two changes: Muhammad Farooq and Muhammad Jawadullah are back in the squad, replacing Dhruv Parashar and Muhammad Rohid Khan.

After winning the toss, the Canada captain, Dilpreet Bajwa, said, "We are going to bat first. We both are associated teams, so we just want to bat first and want to put pressure on them to chase. It's a very good wicket; we saw yesterday's game, and India scored very well. I think it's a batting wicket. As I said, pressure is going to be there for the chase, though. (On captaining Canada) Yeah, it's been good. Playing for South Africa is a good experience for me as a captain, and thanks to the board for choosing me as a captain, and I'm enjoying it. We're going to play the same team that we played against South Africa, and hopefully it will work today," as per Cricbuzz.

UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem stated, "Second game on the same wicket, we were also looking for the batting, but I think we need to restrict them under a low total. No pressure, to be honest. We just have to play the game as we played before. We'll play with the ball and with the bat and against the opposition, that's it. We are going with the two changes. Dhruv and one other guy are not playing. So Farooq and Jawad are back."

Both teams have lost their previous group-stage match and will be looking to register their first win of the tournament.

Canada (Playing XI): Dilpreet Bajwa(c), Yuvraj Samra, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva(w), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel.

United Arab Emirates (Playing XI): Aryansh Sharma(w), Muhammad Waseem(c), Alishan Sharafu, Mayank Kumar, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
Interesting to see the diaspora players in action. Dilpreet Bajwa captaining Canada after playing in South Africa... shows how global cricket is becoming. Hope both teams put up a good show!
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Ananya R
Both teams lost their first match, so this is a must-win for them. The pressure will be real! UAE's changes seem tactical. Let's see if Farooq and Jawadullah can make an impact. May the best team win! 🤞
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Vikram M
The associate nations getting to play at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is great for the growth of the game. Hope the Delhi crowd turns up to support them, not just for India matches. We should be good hosts!
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Karthik V
Honestly, while I support the World Cup being inclusive, the scheduling feels a bit off. A Canada vs UAE match in Delhi on a weekday afternoon? Would have preferred a later slot or different venue to potentially attract more local fans. Just my two cents.
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Priya S
Looking forward to seeing Navneet Dhaliwal bat! He's been consistent for Canada. And from UAE, Muhammad Waseem is always exciting. Chalo, let the game begin! 🏏

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