T20 World Cup 2026: NZ vs RSA – Toss Update & Playing XI Revealed

South Africa take on New Zealand in the semi-final 1 in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Proteas are unbeaten in the tournament so far and will be looking forward to continuing with the same momentum in the upcoming game.

Meanwhile, New Zealand have had a tough outing in the Super 8 stage, winning just one game. However, due to Pakistan and Sri Lanka's failure to win, the Kiwis travelled to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, this will be an important clash for them since they will be under a lot of pressure facing the Proteas. 

At the toss, it was Mitchell Santner who won and elected to field first. Proteas skipper Aiden Markram didn't look upset with the decision and revealed that they didn't mind scoring runs and putting pressure on the opponents in the semi-finals. For New Zealand, there are two changes as Matt Henry and James Neesham come in, while Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, and Marco Jansen come in for the Proteas. 

"I guess we had a little look the other night at what the pitch looked like. It looked pretty good. It should be pretty flat again, so try and make some inroads at the start and try and restrict them to a score. We know they're (South Africa) a great outfit, as they've shown throughout this tournament. So yeah, we know we've got to be on. And I guess, semi-final, there's always a little bit of pressure, but I think if we can just go out there and do our thing and see what happens and put them under pressure in periods and I guess we'll see what happens," said Mitchell Santner at the toss. 

Everyone's sort of contributed: Aiden Markram

South Africa's captain Aiden Markram spoke about how everyone has put in efforts in the tournament, which has helped them win games. The pressure is handled by the entire team, and that's why batting first didn't seem like a tough job for them. 

"I think everyone's sort of contributed at some stage throughout the comp. It hasn't felt like you're leaning on a couple of guys, which is a good space to be as a team. Obviously really pumped up about the idea of a semi-final tonight and hopefully we can start off well with the bat and get a good score on the board," said Markram. 

Playing XI

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson

South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi