South Africa will kick off their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 journey against Canada in Match 9 of Group C on Monday, February 9, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This will be an ideal start for the Proteas, while Canada will like to put themselves to the test against the top side.

South Africa enters this tournament with confidence after finishing runners-up in the previous edition of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Under the captaincy of Aiden Markram, this team is strong and well-balanced. Big names like Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, and Keshav Maharaj provide experience in all departments. South Africa will look to dominate early and send a strong message across the rest of the group.

Canada, meanwhile, have quietly built momentum over the last few years. Making their debut in the T20 World Cup in 2024 by defeating Ireland they have qualified for this event with an unbeaten run in the Americas Regional Qualifier tournament. Under captain Dilpreet Bajwa, Canada will rely on players such as Navneet Dhaliwal, Ravinderpal Singh, and Shreyas Movva to put up a competitive show.

SA vs CAN: Head-to-Head in T20Is

South Africa and Canada have never face each other in T20I. This will be the first encounter in this format, so there is no head-to-head record, both teams are currently at 0-0.

SA vs CAN: Pitch Report

The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium is expected to offer a fair contest. Batters may need time to settle early, but scoring becomes easier once they get in. The large ground can make boundary-hitting tough, which brings smart bowling and running between the wickets into play.

See Also: ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: ZIM vs OMN Today Match Prediction – 8th Match, Who Will Win Today?

SA vs CAN: Predicted Playing XIs

South Africa (SA):

Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton,  George Linde, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

Canada (CAN):

Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Shreyas Movva (wk), Navneet Dhaliwal, Yuvraj Samra, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Nicholas Kirton, Harsh Thaker,  Ansh Patel, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskaran Singh