1. South Africa - 4 points, 2 matches

2. West Indies - 2 points, 2 matches

3. India - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -3.800

4. Zimbabwe - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -5.350

The win over West Indies not only all but took the Proteas into the semi-finals but also handed India a significant advantage as the defending champions chase a T20 World Cup semi-final spot. India are playing Zimbabwe today, and now their fate rests entirely in their own hands after South Africa's dominant victory.

South Africa (177/1) defeated West Indies (176/8) by nine wickets in their T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match on Thursday in Ahmedabad. For Proteas, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton remained unbeaten at 82 and 45 respectively. Apart from them, Quinton de Kock also played a blistering knock of 47 off 24 balls. With this win, South Africa have almost entered the semi-finals of the tournament. 

FOUR!!! Ryan Rickelton hits a boundary on Romario Shepherd's delivery. Low full toss outside off, he reaches for it and opens the bat face to slice the drive in front of square. South Africa now need only 7 runs more to win from 28 balls. 

SA 170/1 (15.2 overs)

South Africa batters go ruthless as West Indies look completely clueless. In the previous over of Roston Chase, Aiden Markram hammered two huge maximums. A ball later, Ryan Rickelton joined the party and hit another six. In total, Chase conceded 19 runs. Proteas now need 22 runs to win from 36 balls. 

SA 155/1 (14 overs)

Despite the dismissal of Quinton de Kock, South Africa ae still dominating the game as Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram are forming a good partnership. Roston Chase faced the heat this time and leaked 11 runs. This included a six from Rickelton. 

SA 128/1 (12 overs)

FOUR!!! Ryan Rickelton hits a good boundary on Jason Holder's delivery. Making good use of the pace, Rickelton cuts it towards the square leg. The ball races across the boundary line for a four. 

SA 114/1 (10.4 overs)

FIFTY!!! Aiden Markram takes a single on Gudakesh Motie's delivery and completes his half-century. It is his 14th half-century and he brings it up in just 27 balls. A brilliant batting from Markram as South Africa also reach the 100-run mark in the chase of 177. 

SA 100/1 (8.5 overs)

OUT!!! What just happened here? Roston Chase has provided West Indies with their first wicket as he dismissed Quinton de Kock for 47. After getting hit for a six and a boundary, Chase trapped de Kock with his ultimate spin. De Kock hit it hard but the ball landed into the hands of Jason Holder. A strong partnership has been broken.

SA 95/1 (8 overs)

Quinton de Kock is also inching towards his half-century. He is playing a powerful knock and creating more troubles for West Indies. In the previous over of Gudakesh Motie, he hammered a a six and a boundary as the bowler conceded 15 runs. Another big over for South Africa. 

SA 84/1 (7 overs)

Adding to the troubles of West Indies, Quinton de Kock also opens his arms and starts dealing in boundaries. Shamar Joseph came at the receiving end and conceded 16 runs in the last over of the powerplay. This included two huge sixes and a boundary from De Kock. 

SA 69/0 (6 overs)

India fans are surely having a blast today as Aiden Markram is dominating the Windies bowlers. This time, Matthew Forde faced the wrath and leaked 11 runs in his previous over. This included a huge maximum and a boundary from Markram. With this, Markram has also breached the 40-run mark and inching towards his half-century. 

SA 53/0 (5 overs)

Aiden Markram is a looking in terrific touch with the bat today. He is fearlessly dealing in boundaries and comfortably dominating the West Indies bowlers. In the previous over of Jason Holder, Markram hit back-to-back boundaries as the pacer leaked 11 runs. 

SA 42/0 (4 overs)

Oh No! West Indies are already in some trouble as Aiden Markram's knock turns out to be a painful one for Brandon King. Markram played an aerial shot and King dived to take a catch the cover. However, he ended up hurting his arm and then taken off the field by the team physio. 

SA 31/0 (3 overs)

SIX!!! Aiden Markram leaves the Ahmedabad crowd stunned with his powerful maximum on Romario Shepherd's delivery. Later, he also hit a boundary as the Windies all-rounder conceded 12 runs. South Africa are off to a blistering start. 

SA 23/0 (2 overs)

South Africa openers are off to a good start in the run chase of 177 against West Indies. In the first over of Matthew Forde, the duo of Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram scored 11 runs. This included a boundary from both the batters. 

SA 11/0 (1 over)

Hello and welcome to South Africa's chase of 177 against West Indies. For the Proteas, Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram have started the proceedings. Meanwhile, Matthew Forde will be bowling the first over for the Windies. 

West Indies produce one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the T20 World Cup 2026 as an extraordinary eighth‑wicket partnership between Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder powers them to 176/8 against South Africa.

RUN-OUT! The partnership is finally broken, and it comes on the penultimate ball of the innings. A sharp delivery sneaks through Holder's legs, Shepherd sets off for a single, but De Kock reacts brilliantly and flicks the ball to Bosch, who does the rest. Holder falls agonisingly short on 49. A crucial breakthrough for South Africa.
WI: 172/8 (19.5)

23 runs off that over! West Indies have completely flipped the script on South Africa and now look well on course for 180-190, perhaps even more, with Holder and Shepherd striking the ball beautifully. Marco Jansen finishes with bruising figures of 0/50 - a day to forget for the big left-armer.

WI: 163/7 (18)

Shepherd has teed off! He picks up the pace and muscles it over deep square for a towering blow. West Indies suddenly have real momentum, and 160-170 looks more than achievable from here. This partnership is now 52 off 35 balls.
WI: 135/5 (16.1)

Pumped over deep midwicket! The boundaries keep flowing for West Indies. Bosch drops it short, and it's duly punished - launched high over deep midwicket and into the crowd. Huge hit. Run-rate goes past eight an over!

WI: 124/7 (15.2)

Smart batting from Holder! He gets the width and throws his bat at it, slicing it wide of point and into the gap for four. Another timely boundary for West Indies. This over has turned expensive - 12 runs already with one ball still to come.

WI: 109/7 (13.5)

Holder finds the gap! A thick edge flies just wide of a leaping point fielder, who stretched out with a one-handed effort but couldn't reel it in. Much-needed boundary for West Indies. It'll be interesting to see whether Holder and Shepherd can drag them towards the 140 mark.
WI: 96/7 (12.5)

Forde picks out the fielder at deep backward square! This has been a poor batting effort from West Indies - completely senseless shot-making. Forde bizarrely scoops it high into the bright Ahmedabad sky, and Rickelton is far too safe a fielder to spill that. Bosch grabs his second. West Indies sinking fast.

Matthew Forde c Rickelton b Bosch 11 (9)

WI: 83/7 (10.2)

Ngidi on fire! He picks up his third as Powell slams it straight to Bevis at cover, who takes a sharp catch. West Indies sink further - they're six down now. Every West Indies wicket is being roared on by the Ahmedabad crowd.

Rovman Powell c Brevis b Ngidi 9 (11)
WI: 71/6 (8.2)

Holder launches this into the stands! He clears his front leg and lofts it straight over long-off for a clean six. A much-needed blow for West Indies. They'll need plenty more of these, but with overs in hand, the big shots can keep coming.
WI: 69/5 (7.5)

West Indies lose another one! Rutherford throws his hands at a wild swing, looking to heave it away, but only manages a thick top edge that balloons high into the night sky. De Kock circles under it and completes a safe catch. The collapse continues - WI are crumbling fast.

Sherfane Rutherford c de Kock b Bosch 12 (10)

WI: 60/5 (6.3)

Bosch to bowl the first over post Powerplay! Rutherford and Powell have a big job at their hands to steer. 
WI: 52/4 (6)

Ngidi replicates Rabada! Two in three balls for him as well. West Indies' innings seems to be falling apart. Chase gets played on. They lose four wickets in two overs. Their collapse will be enjoyed by everyone in India.

Roston Chase b Ngidi 2 (2)

WI: 43/4 (3.6)

Ngidi joins the party! Brandon King walks back. He hangs deep in the crease and tries to guide it down to third, but only ends up getting a thick inside edge. De Kock does the rest behind the sticks with a simple catch. South Africa are in dreamland right now.

Brandon King c de Kock b Ngidi 21 (11)

WI: 41/3 (3.4)

Two in the over for Rabada! Hetmyer fails to make the most of his lifeline. He has played this straight into the hands of Maharaj at midwicket. Good low catch from Maharaj. 

Shimron Hetmyer c Maharaj b Rabada 2 (3)

WI: 31/2 (2.5)

Edged and gone! Kagiso Rabada provides the breakthrough after a fiery start from West Indies. Hope looks to slash away from his body but only manages a thick outside edge. De Kock moves to his right and takes a neat catch in front of his face. Huge moment for South Africa - Hope has to walk back.

Shai Hope c de Kock b Rabada 16 (6)

WI: 29/2 (2.2)

6, 4, 6! The West Indies skipper is on the charge early! A massive first over for the Windies - 17 runs off it - as Shai Hope takes on Keshav Maharaj right away. West Indies are up and running in style.

WI: 17/0 (1)

Keshav Maharaj will take the new ball. Both West Indies openers, Brandon King and Shai Hope, are set at the crease and we're ready for the first over.

South Africa's national anthem will be followed by West Indies'. Looks quite hot at the moment. Shaun Pollock expects be a steeper bounce, and as it dries, and more turn. We are not far away from the first ball!

Shai Hope: Oh, just feel as though we've got to put runs on the board this time around again. Yeah, we probably would have bowled first as well, but again, we've got to put the batting in first. Yeah, one change - Roston Chase comes in for Akeal Hosein. (reason behind the change?) Oh, just opposition, obviously, conditions as well. Certainly not being dropped. He's (Akeal) been performing really well for us. It's just about, more so, being a tactical change and trying to see what's the best XI for this particular opposition. (South Africa won the previous time these two teams met) We've just got to play our best cricket again today. They've been playing really good cricket. As a part of our team, make sure we keep that momentum going, especially here in this important game, and I'm sure the guys are ready for it.

Aiden Markram: We're going to bowl first, Bish. It looks like a pretty good wicket. We've played here one or two games before. Feels slightly tacky, if anything, so hopefully that moisture sort of gets less and less throughout the game and we're able to chase nicely later. (Is familiarity an advantage?) Yeah, look, we've been lucky. Lucky to have played a few games here now. Each wicket has been quite different from the other. I mean, the game we played against India, it was completely different to this side of the square. So, like you mentioned, still being able to execute whatever the conditions give you, and the boys have been doing that nicely. So, another exciting opportunity for us again tonight against a good team, and we look forward to that. No, we are going with the same team. 

West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Shai Hope(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph

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

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram has opted to bowl first, sending West Indies into bat. He says the wicket looks good and noted that the Proteas have played the majority of their matches here in Ahmedabad, giving them a strong sense of the conditions. The Proteas are unchanged. For West Indies, Roston Chase comes in for Akeal Hosein

We are approaching toss time! This looks like a bat first pitch with less chances of dew. A West Indies victory could complicate matters for hosts India. It would put the Caribbean side on the brink of a semifinal spot and leave South Africa all to play for in their final Super 8 fixture against Zimbabwe.

West Indies (probable XI): Brandon King, Shai Hope (capt & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.

South Africa (probable): Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

At the Narendra Modi Stadium, South Africa look well-settled in Ahmedabad conditions. The Proteas have adapted superbly to a surface that offers early bounce and some grip for spinners under lights. The venue has been a fortress for them this tournament - they defeated Canada, Afghanistan, and New Zealand in the group stage before thumping hosts India in their Super 8 clash last week.

While West Indies have won 15 and lost 14 of their 29 T20Is against South Africa, the Proteas hold a slight advantage on the T20 World Cup stage, having won four of the five meetings between the two sides.

The sky looks clear in Ahmedabad but it promises to be another hot day in the city. Pitch 7 has been allocated for this contest, which means red soil, with the prospect of some bounce. Regardless, we could be in for a high-scoring contest.

Best-case Scenario

If South Africa beat West Indies on Thursday and India then defeat Zimbabwe, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will have its fate in its own hands going into their final Super 8 clash. In that scenario, the winner of the India vs West Indies match will advance to the semifinals, irrespective of Net Run Rate.

Scenario 2

If West Indies beat South Africa on Wednesday and India beat Zimbabwe, the defending champions will have to beat West Indies by a heavy margin in the third match to improve their Net Run Rate. Then, they have to hope that Zimbabwe either beat South Africa (so that the Proteas' points remain at 2) or lose to the Proteas by a very narrow margin (so that South Africa don't surpass India's NRR).

Scenario 3

If India lose to Zimbabwe, they are almost certainly out - but a narrow path to qualification would still remain. In that scenario, India would need South Africa to beat both West Indies and Zimbabwe. India would then have to defeat West Indies by a huge margin to overturn the Net Run Rate deficit. That would leave South Africa on 6 points, while India, West Indies and Zimbabwe would all finish on 2 points each. The team with the superior Net Run Rate among the three would then advance.

If South Africa beat West Indies on Thursday and then India beat Zimbabwe, the Proteas will be through to the semi-finals. If West Indies beat South Africa and Zimbabwe beat India, the Caribbean side will advance. A defeat in Chennai later today will end India's campaign, regardless of the result in Ahmedabad. Even if South Africa lose to West Indies, they will stay alive in the race as their final Super 8 match is against Zimbabwe.

A win for either side could significantly boost their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. West Indies currently sit on top of the group due to a superior net run rate, while South Africa are also unbeaten in the tournament so far. The Indian team will be hoping for a favour from South Africa, as a West Indies victory could complicate matters for the co-hosts.

Hello and welcome to our live blog of the crucial T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash between West Indies and South Africa from Ahmedabad. Both teams won their respective Super 8 openers, with South Africa registering a commanding 76-run win over home-favourites India in Ahmedabad, while the West Indies hammered Zimbabwe by 107 runs in Mumbai.