Afghanistan will take on the United Arab Emirates in Match 28 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 on February 16 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. With the Super Eight race heating up in Group D, both teams need a win to stay in contention.

Afghanistan are under pressure after two close defeats, including a dramatic double Super Over loss to South Africa. They also went down against New Zealand earlier in the tournament. Despite the loss, the team also showed great spirit, particularly on the last game. With players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi in the ranks, Afghanistan certainly has the firepower to recover. They must maintain their composure at crucial junctures and must avoid small errors. 

The UAE come into this game with mixed results so far. After a heavy defeat against New Zealand, they responded well with a hard-fought win over Canada. That victory gave them much-needed confidence. The batting and bowling units performed better as a team, and they will aim to carry that form into this important clash.

AFG vs UAE: Head-to-Head in T20Is

• Matches Played: 14
  
• Afghanistan Won: 11
  
• UAE Won: 3
  
• Tied: 0
  
• No Result: 0

AFG vs UAE: Pitch Report

The pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium usually supports batters. They can trust the bounce and play their shots freely. Fast bowlers may get some help early in the innings with the new ball. As the game goes on, the pitch helps spinners, who can get good turn. The average first innings score at this ground this year is around 160 runs.

See Also: ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Match 29: ENG vs ITA, weather report, stadium stats and predicted playing XIs

AFG vs UAE: Predicted Playing XIs

Afghanistan (AFG):

Ibrahim Zadran, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi

United Arab Emirates (UAE):

Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Mayank Kumar, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah