T20 World Cup 2025/26, NED vs USA 21st Match, Group A Match Report, 13 February 2026

USA 196 for 6 (Mukkamalla 79, Ranjane 48*, Leede’s 3-37) beat The Netherlands 103 (de Leede 23, Harmeet 4-21, van Schalkwyk 3-21) with 93 runs

It was the first evening game of this World Cup in Chennai, where USA got things going as soon as they were asked to bat. Eleven openers Shayan Jahangir and Monank Patel set the tone with early intent for boundaries, Mukkamalla’s 79 off 51 balls led the USA’s innings for almost 14 overs, with the run rate touching almost 10 an over. Ranjane then came out all guns blazing in the death overs and set up a total that the Netherlands had never chased before in a T20 World Cup.

USA’s spinners then put the pressure on the Netherlands from the start. Once Nosthush Kenjige struck in the second over, Harmeet ran through them as he came into the fray to finish with 4 for 21, his second four-for in T20Is.

Intention of the USA’s top order

Even though captain Monank asked his top order at the toss to take five to 10 deliveries before taking off, Shayan defied Jahangir by taking the aerial route in the first over with his captain watching from the other end. Jahangir hit two sixes off short balls in his first five balls for a flying start before being bowled for a 13-ball 20 by Klein. Monank took it upon himself to get the run rate up, starting with a textbook straight drive that raced to the fence.

Mukkamalla similarly went for the big hits almost right from the start. He went fearlessly from the air again and again, starting with a six off left-arm quick Fred Klaassen, and didn’t take his foot off the pedal even after the showdown. There was no respite for the Netherlands despite several bowling changes, as USA continued to punish the loose balls, trading against the good ones in singles and doubles which gave the experienced Roelof van der Merwe figures of 3-0-36-0 without a single ball.

Mukkamalla, Ranjane lay in the Netherlands

At just 21, Mukkamalla looked as mature as someone “who has been playing for the USA for ten years,” his captain said after the game. Mukkamalla showed it with scintillating batting that saw sixes down the ground, over the covers, at pace and spin, all while glancing steadily and elegantly at the crease. Monank himself belted three fours and a six at the other end until a short and slow knuckleball from Bas de Leede completely foxed him for a catch to the wicketkeeper.

Mukkamalla, meanwhile, took off at a stage of 25 off 20 balls with four fours in his next five balls which brought two high shots from Van der Merwe and two late cuts against Klaassen. The six he hit Klein over the covers for his 30-ball fifty further stamped his authority on the bowlers, who all looked out to sea. Sanjay Krishnamurthi was also misled by a slower one that led to broken stumps, even as Mukkamalla kept the boundaries going, and Ranjane joined him.

Fresh from his quick-fire 51 against Pakistan when he took down Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ranjane showed off his range of strokes behind the wicket as the Netherlands pacers refused to offer any pace with their array of cutters. This earned them two boundaryless overs, the 16th and 17th, as they conceded just 12 runs, including Mukkamalla’s wicket for 79.

Ranjane kept shuffling to the off side in anticipation of short and slow balls, which he kept at for 14 runs from the 18th over and 13 runs from the 19th over with sweeps, pulls and clips. Logan van Beek gave up just nine runs in the last over, but USA then posted a steep total.

Harmeet leads spin charge

The Netherlands had almost no answers for the USA bowlers when Kenjige bowled Michael Levitt in the second over with one that kept very low. Coming into the fifth over with De Leede attacking, Harmeet struck with his fair share of luck in successive overs when he caught Max O’Dowd and de Leede off short and wide deliveries to reduce the Netherlands to 53 for 4.

But Harmeet soon found his rhythm. He stuck largely to a stump-to-stump line thereafter, varying his pace from early to late 80km/h, which helped him rattle Scott Edwards’ stumps and trap Van der Merwe lbw. The asking rate shot up to more than 12 runs per over at the halfway mark, and the Netherlands were never able to recover.

As cutters and slower ones were rewarded on this pitch, it was only fitting that Shadley van Schalkwyk took three more wickets to add to his two four-fors in the first two matches. His wobbly seam delivery made Colin Ackermann responsible early in the match, his leg-snapper went through Aryan Dutt, and he settled matters in the 16th over to extend his lead at the top of the wicket-taking charts with his tally of 11 wickets.