The United States of America finally got off the mark at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup with a smashing 93-run win over the Netherlands at the M. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. A blockbuster batting start followed by a relentless bowling charge left the Dutch hapless, giving the Americans a much-needed boost in morale at this T20 World Cup.

USA Innings

The USA were put into bat for the first time in the competition by Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards and used the bouncy track to get off to a quick start. Shayan Jahangir pushed on the front foot, but his eagerness got the better of him, with Kyle Klein outsmarting him early on for just 20. The wicket, however, proved to be a mistake for the Netherlands, as Saiteja Mukkamalla came in and made them pay on his World Cup debut.

The 21-year-old from Plainsboro, New Jersey unleashed a barrage with his captain, Monank Patel, keeping the United States at a steady run rate of 10 per over. Bas de Leede broke the 55-run partnership in the ninth over by removing Patel for 36, but Mukkamalla was not stopping anytime soon. He brought up his half-century in 30 deliveries with a classy cover drive over the boundary.

The 360-degree onslaught continued, with a century looking on the cards for the Jersey native, but de Leede finally ended the nightmare for the Dutch by dismissing Mukkamalla for an impressive 79. But the damage was done, as the USA sat at 159/4 after 17 overs.

Responsibility then transferred to the in-form Shubham Ranjane, who played yet another quickfire cameo of 45 not out to bring the American total to 196/6, their highest at this T20 World Cup.

Netherlands Innings

Nosthush Kenjige struck gold for the USA from the outset, bowling out Michael Levitt with his first delivery of the World Cup and giving the Netherlands a worrisome start to an already difficult chase. Veteran Max O’Dowd and de Leede kept the chase steady, but sharp fielding from the U.S. kept the pressure on. Harmeet Singh capitalized on that pressure to dismiss O’Dowd, and then the collapse began.

The Netherlands went from 41/2 to 75/6 in the next five overs, losing key batters such as de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Zach Lion-Cachet, and the captain, Edwards. With the necessary firepower out of the picture and the run rate stuck in a rut, a USA win was all but secured at just the halfway point of the second innings.

Singh, alongside Mohammed Mohsin and the competition’s top wicket-taker, Shadley van Schalkwyk, ran riot with the ball in the middle overs until the job was done in the 16th over. Van Schalkwyk took his third of the day and the Netherlands’ final wicket to finish them off at 103 all out, keeping the United States’ hopes alive at the T20 World Cup.

“I think we never really got going”

It was a disappointing outing for the Netherlands in Chennai, especially after their comfortable win over Namibia and their earlier strong fight against Pakistan. Coming into the game, they could safely be called the favorites, but it was not to be.

“It was probably more than what we were hoping for,” said Netherlands captain Scott Edwards about his side’s bowling performance in the post-match interview.

“I think the bowling group has been sensational for the first two games. (Today) We probably missed a few more times. USA obviously put us under pressure a bit there.”

The batting department was responsible for the Netherlands’ downfall, and Edwards acknowledged his team’s lackluster display as the main cause.

“It was obviously quite a good pitch, I think we never really got going there with the bat, just kept losing wickets. Which, yeah, (was) obviously disappointing,” reflected Edwards on the batting half of the game.

“When the (run) rate gets up to 11, 12, it’s pretty quick. It’s (about) that balance of getting that rate down, but not losing those wickets. We didn’t get it right today.”

“Really happy with the way we played today”

All smiles for Monank Patel and the USA after finally winning their first game at the 2026 T20 World Cup, and against the Netherlands in the T20I format. It was all positive thoughts from captain Patel.

“Firstly, really happy (with) the way we played today,” said Patel.

“I thought the way we showed the intent (that) we were missing in the first two games, I thought we came back really well as a batting department.”

While the player of the match award went to Harmeet Singh for his commanding 4/21, it was Mukkamalla who was the revelation that defined this win for the USA with his 79 from 51 balls, and Patel could not agree more.

“He’s an incredible talent for USA,” stated Patel.

“The way he’s been batting since the last two years, he’s batting like as if he’s (been) playing for 10 years for USA. He’s a very mature player and great to him.”

The USA also have one more game remaining in the group stage against Namibia, with their chances of reaching the Super 8 stage still quite slim. As positive as their net run rate is, they will need either Namibia to create a miracle over Pakistan or the Netherlands to do the same against India, depending on what happens in the India-Pakistan game on Sunday. Not to mention win over Namibia themselves. But after this resounding victory, American spirits are certainly high, and there is no shame in dreaming.

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