India's playing XI REVEALED by 2011 World Cup winner, No place for Varun Chakaravarthy vs NZ

Former Indian pacer and 2011 ODI World Cup winner Munaf Patel has picked his Team India playing XI for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. The former seamer called for a solitary change to the lineup, with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav replacing leg-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy in the lineup.

Team India will lock horns with New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. The Men in Blue defeated England in the second semifinal. Notably, the hosts might consider a change or two for the big game, as some key players are not in form at the moment.

Munaf Patel Drops Varun Chakaravarthy from India's Playing XI for T20 World Cup Final

Munaf Patel took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share his India playing XI for the upcoming match. Munaf backed opener Abhishek Sharma in his lineup. The opening batter has scored 89 runs in seven matches at an average of under 13 and a strike rate of 130.88 in the competition so far.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

However, Munaf excluded Varun Chakaravarthy from the lineup. Varun was impressive in the group-stage games, taking 9 wickets in four matches. However, he hasn't been the same bowler since South Africa took him down in the Super 8 clash.

He has been averaging 46.25 in the last four matches at an economy rate of almost 12. During the semifinal win over England, he endured his worst-ever T20I outing, conceding a massive 64 runs in his four overs while picking up just one wicket.

In the World Cup, the 34-year-old has taken 13 wickets in eight matches at an average of 19.07 and an economy rate of 8.85. Overall, Varun Chakaravarthy has picked up 72 wickets in 44 matches at an average of 16.30 and an economy of 7.45.

My playing 11 will be as below for #INDvsNZ

Sanju
Abhishek
Ishan
SKY
Tilak
Hardik
Dubey
Axar
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Arshdeep

Whats yours?#T20WorldCup #IndvsNZ #Final

— Munaf Patel (@munafpa99881129) March 7, 2026

Munaf Patel's Team India Playing XI for T20 World Cup 2026 final

Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

Concerns Over Kuldeep Yadav’s Match Fitness Ahead of Final

There are concerns about Kuldeep Yadav's match fitness. Kuldeep is a proven match-winner, but he has warmed the bench for most of India's games during this tournament.

The left-arm wrist spinner has played only one match, which was against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15. He was very economical in that game, returning figures of 1/14 from his three overs.

Kuldeep is a rhythm bowler, which makes game time very important for him. While he has been bowling in the nets, every cricketer knows that nothing can replace actual match time.

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav stated in the pre-match press conference that there are no concerns over Chakaravarthy ahead of the final.

"I have no worries about Varun as he is a World No. 1 bowler, he knows how to raise his game on big occasions and win it for his team, and I am sure he will definitely win the final for us," said Suryakumar Yadav (via Telegraph India).

Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin issues big statement on Narendra Modi Stadium ‘curse’