T20 World Cup 2026: Match 31, NZ vs CAN Match 31 Prediction – Who will win today’s match between New Zealand vs Canada?

In yet another intriguing contest in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, New Zealand (NZ) will face Canada (CAN) in Match No. 31 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Tuesday, February 17.

The BlackCaps will be gearing up for their fourth and the last group stage encounter, whereas Canada will be playing their third. Currently, the Kiwis sit at second place with four points to their name and will look to book their place in the Super Eights with a win against the Canadians. 

After winning their first two matches against Afghanistan and the UAE, the Mitchell Santner-led side got hammered by the South African batters, chasing the 176 runs in just 17 overs against them. So, against Canada, the Kiwis will look to come back to winning ways. 

Canada, on the other hand, has been on a struggling track. The Dilpreet Bajwa-led side has suffered two consecutive losses, against South Africa and the UAE, respectively. So, this match is a must-win encounter for them. 

NZ vs CAN Match Details

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai: Pitch Report

The iconic venue of Chennai has as of now hosted four matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup, with all being fairly high-scoring encounters. In these four matches, only South Africa won the match defending the total, whereas the other three matches were won by the teams chasing the target. In conclusion, the Chennai pitch might favour batters slightly more than the bowlers.

NZ vs CAN Head-to-Head Record in T20Is

This will be the first ever T20I encounter between the two teams. 

NZ vs CAN Predicted Playing XIs

New Zealand (NZ):

Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy 

Canada (CAN):

Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa (C), Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (WK), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel

SL vs AUS Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Finn Allen 

The explosive opener from New Zealand, Finn Allen, will be the batter to watch out for in this contest. After a failure against Afghanistan, he has come back stronger, scoring 115 runs in the next two innings. His unbeaten partnership alongside Tim Seifert against the UAE in New Zealand's second group game has also solidified the confidence that the dressing room has in Allen's abilities.

Probable Best Bowler: Mitchell Santner 

The experienced spinner and New Zealand's captain Mitchell Santner will be the bowler to watch out for in this contest. Having played for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL for several years, he knows the ground the well, and that might help him against Canada. 

Today's Match Prediction: New Zealand to win the match