Exclusive: Canada Captain Dilpreet Singh Targets Big Win Over UAE to Boost Net Run Rate

Canada captain Dilpreet Singh has made it clear that his side is targeting a dominant win against UAE in their upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 match, as they look to bounce back from a heavy defeat in their previous outing and revive their net run rate.

“The expectation is to defeat them by a large margin so that our run rate improves,” Dilpreet told SportsBoom.us in an exclusive interview. 

“We lost the first match by 60 runs, so now we will try to bring our run rate back to normal and win the match.”

Where did it go wrong against South Africa?

Canada went down against South Africa in their last game, and Dilpreet admitted that losing wickets at crucial moments forced his team to shift away from their natural attacking style.

“We lost a couple of wickets extra. Because of that, we had to shift our momentum in a defensive way,” he said. 

“Our game is mostly aggressive. Me and Yuvraj play aggressive in both the circles. They made a strong comeback with their bowling and because of that we got that learning curve.”

Dilpreet pointed out that the collapse came from a sequence of wickets rather than one single mistake. 

“Where we collapsed, we kept losing wickets. I think that was the learning curve so that we don't lose too many wickets in the next game.”

He also felt Canada let the game slip in the field and during key bowling moments. 

“We could have done some variations in the bowling. In the last game, we were late in the field,” he said. “Because of the misfielding, I think we took 10–15 runs more. We took 10 runs more in the last over. Overall, around 20 extra runs.”

Plans for the UAE match

Looking ahead to the UAE clash, Dilpreet said familiarity with the opposition could work in Canada’s favour. 

“For the UAE match, we know the associate team very well. We will work on our plans and we will try to out Mohd. Waseem and Ali, who have been in good form recently.”

The Canada captain stressed the importance of using the powerplay smartly. 

“The loose ball that we get should go out of the circle. If a good ball is coming, we should play the dot as little as possible,” he said. 

“If we hit singles, doubles or a bad ball, the power play will be used easily.”

Dilpreet added that team selection would depend on conditions. 

“We can’t say anything right now because it’s a new team, new conditions, new wickets. We will talk to the coach and hopefully get a good playing XI combination.”

On the pitch, Dilpreet noted the difference from previous venues. 

“The wickets and conditions are a little cold here compared to Ahmedabad. This is black soil, so the ball will get stuck a little and it will spin well,” he explained. 

“The groundsmen said the wickets will be good for the day game, so hopefully we will have a high-scoring game.”

How does it feel to lead a multicultural Canadian team?

Speaking about leading a multicultural Canadian side, Dilpreet said the transition into captaincy has been smooth. 

“Eight people have already played with me when I was the captain of the BC team,” he said. “The rest of the senior players and ex-captains are with me and they are helping.”

Dilpreet also reiterated the need for associate nations to get more exposure against top teams. 

“If we play continuously with teams like Australia, India and South Africa, learn from them and stay in match conditions, it will help us,” he said. 

“We haven’t played a T20 match for seven months, so we are lagging there.”

The Canadian skipper revealed that training alongside the Indian team has been a motivating experience for his squad. 

“Surya Bhai and all the Indian players are watching our game. They are watching our game plan,” he said. 

“It’s a proud moment that such a big team is watching us and it’s good for Canada Cricket.”