For the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 title, India and South Africa will face off tonight (Saturday) at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, West Indies. The final match between the two teams will start at 8:15 PM Nepali time.
After hosting the 2010 T20 World Cup, the West Indies are once again hosting the final match at their home ground, bidding farewell to the ninth edition of the World Cup.
This is the first time South Africa will play a match on this ground during this World Cup. India, on the other hand, had the opportunity to play one match against Afghanistan here.
The first match of this ongoing World Cup at this ground went to a Super Over, in which Namibia defeated Oman.
Both unbeaten teams want to maintain their momentum and become world champions.
Moreover, whichever team wins will become the first unbeaten team in the history of the World Cup to win the title.
Reaching the World Cup final is a historic and proud moment for South Africa, as they are playing in the final of a major tournament for the first time.
Whether it’s the T20 World Cup or the ODI, South Africa has no experience playing in the final.
Apart from winning the Champions Trophy in 1998, South Africa has never reached the final of any ICC tournament.
Previously, South Africa reached the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup in 1992, 1999, 2007, 2015, and 2023, and the T20 World Cup semi-finals in 2009 and 2014, but could not advance further. Now, reaching the final for the first time, South Africa is just one step away from the title.
While South Africa won all their matches in the group stage and Super 8, India shared points with Canada due to a rain-affected match. Both South Africa and India secured their semi-final spots by finishing at the top of their groups in the Super 8 and group stage.
This is the first time both teams will meet in the final of any ICC T20 event.
Having won the first World Cup in 2007, India aims to win their second title. Meanwhile, South Africa is not willing to miss their first golden opportunity to win the title.
This is the second time India and South Africa will face each other in the T20 World Cup. Previously, in the 2014 semi-final, India defeated South Africa by six wickets to reach the final. South Africa aims to avenge that loss in today’s final.
In the first semi-final, South Africa defeated Africa by nine wickets to secure their place in the final.
In the Super 8, South Africa defeated host America by 18 runs and won against England by seven runs.
In another match, South Africa confirmed their semi-final spot by defeating host West Indies by three wickets using the DLS method.
In the group stage, South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the first match, and won against the Netherlands by four wickets in the second match.
In their third group stage match, South Africa defeated Bangladesh by four runs and achieved a thrilling one-run victory over Nepal.
Since winning the 2007 World Cup, India has repeatedly come close to the title but fallen short.
Even though India reached the final of the ICC ODI World Cup on home soil last year, they could not win the title, losing to Australia by six wickets. India aims to forget that defeat and create new history.
In this ongoing T20 World Cup, India secured their spot against South Africa by defeating two-time champion England by 68 runs in the second semi-final.
In the Super 8, India defeated Australia by 24 runs and Bangladesh by 50 runs. They also achieved a 47-run victory against Afghanistan in another match.
In the group stage, India won against Ireland by eight wickets and defeated Pakistan by six runs. India shared points with Canada in a rain-affected match, which was cancelled due to rain.
Since winning the first World Cup in 2007, India was eliminated in the second round in 2009, 2010, and 2012. India was the runner-up in 2014 and was stopped in the semi-final when they hosted the World Cup in 2016. In 2021, India was eliminated in the second round and reached the semi-final in 2022.
Pitch Conditions and Toss
Having hosted the 2010 T20 World Cup, the West Indies are once again hosting the final match on their home ground, bidding farewell to the ninth edition of the World Cup.
This time, nine matches of the World Cup were held at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, West Indies. South Africa has never played on this pitch. India played one match against Afghanistan here.
The first match of this ongoing World Cup at this ground went to a Super Over, in which Namibia defeated Oman.
Out of seven World Cup matches, India batted first in five of them. South Africa won the toss and chose to field in two of their three matches and batted first in the others.
Both teams have strong bowling line-ups.
Weather
Meteorologists have predicted a 50% chance of rain during tonight’s final match. The ICC has allocated an additional 190 minutes for the final match.
If rain affects the match, the ICC has decided to declare a winner by playing at least a 10-over game.
The ICC has also set a reserve day for the final match. If the match cannot be played on Saturday due to rain, it will be played on Sunday on the reserve day.
If rain interrupts the match on Saturday, it will resume from where it left off on Sunday. Meteorologists have predicted a 20% chance of rain on Sunday.
If the match cannot be played even on the reserve day, India and South Africa will be declared joint winners.
Head to Head
Looking at the last five T20I encounters, South Africa has dominated India.
In the two matches held in 2022 and three matches in 2023, India won only once.
One of the five matches was cancelled due to rain, and South Africa won three of them. However, India defeated South Africa in their most recent encounter.
Indian Team
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj
Substitute players: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan
South African Team
Aiden M (captain), Otniel Bartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Stubbs Stubbs.
