India vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup 2026 Final: IND defeat NZ by 96 runs, wins third title

Pretty good wicket throughout. 220 could have been chased down. Credit to Abhishek and Sanju. not lot of swing. bowlers tried not to bowl in their arc but they were really good lost to a very good team they know how to play in these conditions they were striking well right till the end with Shivam Dube coming in losing finals is not ideal but then you come up against good teams they showed their class it is unfortunate for us that Samson saved his runs for the wc. Against the best teams, you will be exposed. Thanks to fans for following us. have to go to work without a trophy. Not our greatest effort, but we came up against a strong team. We will reflect as a group the players should be proud.

"Proud of the boys to make it this far. Obviously we had some challenges throughout but at each stage we put up a good fight. Today we got outplayed by a great team in front of a great crowd. To see a big sea of blue, obviously India were home favourites. Playing a home World Cup comes with a lot of pressure. But yeah SKY and the boys should be very very proud. Different guys stood up at different stages. In the Super Eight and semi-finals we put up a good fight but tonight we were obviously outplayed."

Vinayakk M: Sanju Samson had already won a World Cup. But the term 'win' can only be used loosely here. He was part of Rohit Sharma's squad two years back when India ended a long wait for an ICC trophy. He, however, was just on the fringe. It appeared things might turn out the same way when he found himself out of the XI ahead of the 2026 edition. But on Sunday night, he wasn't just a World Cup winner again. He was THE World Cup winner, named the best player of the tournament for three sensational innings in three knockout matches. "It feels like a dream," he beamed when Ian Bishop asked what it meant to him. This smile wasn't to hide pain, this was out of sheer joy. He said he felt broken after the recent New Zealand series, and that he didn't know what to do when he had to sit outside. "I hope I can share it here," he started sheepishly. He said that for the last couple of months he has been in touch with Sachin Tendulkar. "After Australia I reached out to him. We had big conversations, and even yesterday also he called me up to check how am I feeling." What more can one ask for, than the hand of God.

"[On what the win means] Feels extremely special because I've played one final in my home venue but couldn't win that one, but today I won. I knew wicket was a flat one so had to use all my experience. Before this tournament I was in that zone where I felt I was trying too hard because I was bowling well but felt I was trying too hard. This tournament I just tried to let the game come to me, and that worked really well. My individual assessment has always been my strength and getting MOTM at my home ground in a World Cup final, it doesn't get better than that. [On his slower balls] Because of the experience, because I've played on belters over here, and I have seen the other teams too, I learned that trying to bowl too fast can make shot-making easier. So just played smart, and tried to think of what the batsmen were trying to do. [On the bowling group] Whenever we discuss, they always come up with options. And when communication is needed we did that. We never panicked. Kept our heads above the water. Teams that do that win the tournament and I am very happy we did it.

"Feels amazing. back to back trophies. Feel very happy for Abhishek, he scored today. We used to keep chatting that what's happening, nothing is working out for us, but yeah now we've won the World Cup."

"I just ran off to apologise to Mitchell. The ball reverse-swung when I threw it and it hit him. Right now it feels great but the emotions will sink in the next 2-4 days. This is a very good team with a lot of match-winners, and the result is cherry on the cake. As a bowler, our role is to restrict them to under 250 if we score 250 and when bowling first, it's just to restrict them to as little as possible."

"The one thing was very clear, I wanted to share before as well, but today is the best day. The captain and coach had faith in me. Even I was doubting myself. I had never experienced this before, it was a tough tournament. I was just doing my process, trying to take it one game after another, but it wasn't easy. But I love this team because the way they backed me. It wasn't easy for me because going through the whole year i was doing well for the team, but in the big tournament I wasn't able to. But the faith the team and management showed in me. I got emotional in the middle of the tournament and wanted to talk to the coach and captain and they said you'll win us the big games. The crowd has supported us a lot even through tough times."

Abhishek Sharma got the final wicket, and India won the game and lifted their second World Cup. First, about the match, it has been a stunning performance from India. New Zealand were never in the game. There is a gulf in quality between India and the rest of the sides. In fact, if one has to be brutally honest, England gave India a better game than New Zealand did today. The focus and emphasis from the Kiwis today has been more about how to control damage right from ball one rather than going for the kill. And once they started to play that way it is always catch up from there on and they just could do no do it by the end.

Tushar Bhaduri: Former South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn had claimed that his country get needless rap as 'chokers' with New Zealand making a habit of falering at the final hurdle of major ICC tournaments. The Kiwis almost always make at least the semifinals of big events, but apart from one World Test Championship and an ICC knockout crown, have almost always finished as the bridesmaids. They have finished runner-up twice each in the 50-over World Cup, the T20 version and the Champions Trophy. So, in a way, there is some merit in what Steyn said in a podcast with his former Proteas teammate AB de Villiers. He claimed that it should be the Kiwis who should be branded as the real 'chokers'. The reason the two teams are treated differently may be that New Zealand doesn't have the resources in terms of depth of talent that South Africa possess. The Proteas have always have had a bevy of cricketing superstars, but never managed to do justice to the tag of favourites.

Nitin Sharma: This is the first time that India have defeated New Zealand in a T20 World Cup match. New Zealand has won all the three previous encounters between the two countries in the T20 World Cup with their first win coming in the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa. The Daneil Vettori led New Zealand side scored a ten-run win over the MS Dhoni Led Indian team in the match played at Johannesburg. DanielVettori claimed four wickets for New Zealand to set up the win The second time the two countries faced each other was in the Super 10 stage at Nagpur in the T20 World Cup in 2016. The Kane Williamson led Kiwi side scored a 47-run win over the MS Dhoni led Indian side in the match with Mitchell Santner taking top four wickets during India’s chase of 127 runs in a low scoring thriller. The third time the two nations faced each other in the T20 World Cup history was in the T20 World Cup in 2021 at Dubai at Dubai. The Kane Williamson led New Zealand side scored an eight-wicket win over the Virat Kohli led Indian side in the match.

Bumrah has come back into the attack and picked up two more wickets, both of those where slower ball yorkers. First, it was Jimmy Neesham who fell, and then it was Matt Henry, and Bumrah, as a result, was on a hat-trick. He bowled a yorker, which Lockie Ferguson somehow dug out. India needs two more wickets to win this game here. After a disappointing performance in 2023, they have made a strong statement here. This will be the first time a team has won the T20 World Cup twice in a row. After the loss to South Africa there were a lot of questions that were raised of the side but the change to bring Samson up the order has made a huge difference. The crowd and the players are now waiting to get their hands on the trophy here.

Tushar Bhaduri: The match had taken a celebratory hue even before the Powerplay in the New Zealand innings got over. Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah (who else!) had nipped the Kiwi challenge even before they entertained any hopes of giving the mountain of a target a shake-up. It even allowed India a bunch of ground fielding errors and dropped catches. it was as if the Indians were taking the mickey out of the opposition, conveying the distance between the two teams. The big hits became more and more infrequent, the asking rate reached unrealistic levels as the competitive level went out of the game. The Kiwis were waiting to be put out of their misery while the Indians were counting the deliveries before they could celebrate openly.

Axar Patel has picked up his third wicket of the evening. Mitchell was caught on the boundary by Ishan Kishan, the right-hander had to walk back. New Zealand has lost their six wicket it seemed like more or less a replay of the bilateral games we have seen recently ahead of the world cup than New Zealand coming up with a tactic of note with the ball in the first innings, and now in the second innings too, they are falling apart. The key to making good scores is building partnerships but New Zealand has tried to mimic the way India has played and the lack of skills has caught up with them then and is happening the same here. The batting position of Mitchell is something which is just a poor tactical call from them whomsoever has made it.

We had a slight incident here. Daryll Mitchell fended a delivery, which went straight back to Arshdeep, and he threw the ball back, and it hit Mitchell. The batter was not at all happy and had a few words to say, but Arshdeep immediately turned back and walked away. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav came in and got involed and the umpire had a word with Arshdeep. Well, an odd moment considering the game situation as India is far ahead and New Zealand are way behind, and that sort of aggression is uncalled for. Meanwhile Varun Chakarvarthy has come into the attack and he would want to do a couple of good overs and have decent end to the world cup. Well as we update Mitchell Santner has slammed a couple of sixes against Chakarvarthy here.

Varun Chakarvathy has picked up the crucial wicket of Tim Seifert. It was a drag down, and the batter could have played anywhere on the ground, but got the toe-end, and the fielder on the boundary, Ishan Kishan at mid-wicket, took a nice catch. New Zealand has lost half their side here. They have never been in this game apart from that toss call and three-wicket over from Jimmy Neesham. The best way they could have put India under pressure was to batting first and then try and rattle them with taking pace off which is what South Africa did. But the modern way is to try and chase things down and espically at this venue dew plays a bit part but today none of that has happened it is getting harder and harder for New Zealand to get the ball away.

Nitin Sharma: At the end of power play, New Zealand are 52 for 3 in six overs. India were 92 for 0, the highest in power play in this T20 World Cup after their power play overs in this match and posted the highest total in power play in a T20 World Cup knock-out match ever.

Shankar Narayan: Fresh off a blistering 33-ball hundred in the semi-final, Finn Allen was the one wicket India desperately wanted early while defending 255. But the nerves inside the stadium spiked in the very first over.

On the fifth ball, Arshdeep Singh induced a mistimed loft from Allen that ballooned high over mid-off. Shivam Dube tracked back under it, hands raised, but the ball brushed past his fingertips and dropped. Allen slammed his bat in frustration, while Arshdeep had already begun his celebratory run before realising the chance had gone down. For a moment, it felt like the kind of miss that could come back to haunt India.

Thankfully for the hosts, the reprieve did not prove costly. A couple of overs later, Axar Patel banged one in short, Allen went for the pull and could only pick out the fielder. Dismissed for 9, the early scare faded quickly - and a collective sigh of relief swept through the Indian camp.

Nitin Sharma: Shivam Dube’s dropped catch of Finn Allen in the first over was the 15th catch dropped by an Indian player in this T20 World Cup, the most by any team in this tournament.

Nitin Sharma: New Zealand’s power play total of 84 for 0 against South Africa in the semi-finals at Eden Gardens in Kolkata this T20 World Cup was their highest total in power play in this T20 World Cup. That total was also the highest by any team in a T20 World Cup knockout before Indian surpassed that with a power play total of 92 for 0 today evening.

(Initial thoughts) "Yeah, obviously that’s tough. Obviously we would have liked to have keep them to probably under 240 there, but, we’ve still got the firepower and the belief in this shed. So I think for us, the way we start, hopefully we can get a good read of the wicket and put them under some pressure. (Was it a plan to take pace off early?) Yeah, obviously with the way they like pace coming onto the ball. The plan was obviously to take a bit of pace away from them. And obviously they combated that pretty well. And probably for us, it’s just a little disappointing, but the way we could manage to squeeze it back from there in that middle phase, we gave ourselves a fighting chance there. And at the end of the day, we’re not out of this. We believe in that. (Batting lessons from the India innings) Yeah, well, I think if you look at the way they started, they actually got a read of the wicket. And then from there, they actually looked to accelerate and put us under a lot of pressure. So obviously, it didn’t look like when you’re coming out from ball one, giving yourself a couple of balls. But yeah, for us, frustrating one, but I think we still back our boys to get this done.”

Nitin Sharma: With the total of 255 for 5 in 20 overs, India post the second highest total of this T20 World Cup and also the third highest total in a T20 World Cup match. India’s total is also the highest total in T20Is at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad surpassing the total of 234 for 4 scored against New Zealand at this stadium in third T20I in 2023. New Zealand need to surpass the third highest total in a T20 World Cup to win their maiden World Cup title.

Hardik Pandya has fallen here. He looked terribly out of touch today. It was that ball that dug into the surface here, and Hardik tried to power it over long-off but was outdone by the pace and was caught inside the ring by Mitchell Santner. India is not finding it easy at all in the last few overs to score runs. The bowling unit will take notes of this, and tactics from Suryakumar Yadav will be very interesting. The way Nessham has bowled here, there is a role for Shivam Dube through those middle overs.

Shankar: At 203/1 after 15 overs, India seemed to be cruising towards a 300-plus total, with Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan tearing into the New Zealand attack.

Then came the reminder of how quickly T20 cricket can twist the plot. In the 16th over, James Neesham flipped the script, striking three times in the space of six balls to slam the brakes on India’s charge.

Samson was the first to fall, mistiming a lofted hit off a low full toss to substitute Cole McConchie at long-on, bringing an end to a superb 89 off 47 balls. Four deliveries later, Kishan followed, holing out to Mark Chapman at the same position while attempting another big hit.

The over ended with Suryakumar Yadav falling for a golden duck, his trademark short-arm pull finding Rachin Ravindra at deep backward square leg. In a blink, three wickets had fallen for one run, and an innings that was roaring ahead suddenly stumbled.

Nitin Sharma: India were 190 for 4 at the end of 16 overs against England in the semi-finals before they posted a total of 253 for 7. With three wickets falling in the 16th over, India are now 202 for 4. At one point, India were looking to get past 275 runs. Can they get past 250 runs at this point?

India has lost three quick wickets here, and it is Jimmy Nessham who has got them all in a single over. After Samson Ishan Kishan perished immediatly getting caught at long-on by Mark Chapman, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav too fell for a duck as he tried to play his favourite shot, bending on one knee and whipping it behind the square, however, Rachin Ravindra has taken a brilliant catch at the square-leg fielder. India has lost a bit of momentum in the last 10 minutes or so, but they do bat deep hence they should be still manage 250 from here.

Samson has turned it on here. What a fabulous innings this has been, not at a single point it seemed like he was hitting the ball hard, but he is striking at 200. These last three games might be the making of Sanju Samson we are witnessing here. The century is there for the taking for him here, and there is enough time and enough runs already on the board for India. It has been all India here in this innings. New Zealand has had nothing to do they just have been going through the motions and seem to be short on ideas.

Sanju Samson has scored a third half-century in a row here. Usually, when he gets into form, he makes the most of it, and that is what is happening in this T20 World Cup. He was brought into the side to separate the left-handed cluster at the top of the order, but what an inspirational change that is turning out to be. He has enough time here today to get to the three-digit mark. Meanwhile Ishan Kishan too is playing some terrific shots New Zealand is in deep deep trouble here the way things are unfolding it is tough to see how India are not going to win their second world cup in a row.

The biggest issue with the New Zealand attack is that they do not possess the x-factor which the modern T20I sides have. X-factor need not be a mystery spinner all the time, but a quality spinner like Adil Rashid or Adam Zampa, who are pretty consistent in those middle overs. The entire Kiwi attack is more fucntional and the wickets for them had to come up with that new ball in the Matt Henry spell, but his rotation of overs was quite puzzling from the New Zealand skipper. As we update Sanju Samson scores half-century here.

Sanju Samson, too, has got his innings underway here yet again. While Abhishek Sharma was slamming the ball all over the park, he took the backseat and let him have a go. Now, in the middle overs, as he has gotten himself a start, he is playing a nice knock here, rotating the strike, looking to build a partnership. As per Ishan Kishan, he has played a couple of crisp shots and is looking in terrific touch. India is looking good to put on 250 runs here. And New Zealand bowling is looking a bit on short of ideas at the moment.

Nitin Sharma: The highest total in this T20 World Cup has been India’s total of 256 for 4 against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 stage. West Indies score of 254 for 6 against Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament and India’s score of 253 for 7 against England in the semi-final are the next highest scores this T20 World Cup. Can India get past 250 runs for the third time in this tournament?

Nitin Sharma: India’s total of 92 for 0 is now the highest total by a team in the power play at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in this T20 World Cup and the highest total in power play in this T20 World Cup. India surpassed the total of 86 for 1 scored by them only against Namibia in the group stage to surpass the record.

Abhishek Sharma has slammed a half-century here. That is a splendid innings from him, he gave a proper hammering to the Kiwi bowlers. He was out of touch through the tournament, and when it mattered the most, he curbed his instincts a bit to get his innings going. That is a body blow for India, they have slammed 92 in the powerplay, and it already looks like they will post 250 in the final, and no matter what, how much dew might form later, 250 will be hard to chase. New Zealand will need something extra-ordinary through these middle overs.

Nitin Sharma: 83 for 1. That’s the highest total in power play in this T20 World Cup by a team at the Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad. South Africa made that score in their successful chase of 176 runs against New Zealand in the group stage. With 51 runs for no loss in four overs, can India surpass that record?

New Zealand has not started well here. As much as both the Indian batters are playing some sublime shots, New Zealand has not covered themselves in any glory with the tactic they have come here with. Not bowling Matt Henry with the new ball for the second over to exploit whatever is on offer on this wicket is an error from Santner. He has turned to Lockie Ferguson already, and he has conceded 20 already. New Zealand have fallen behind in this game in the first 20 minutes and it is already catch up for them with the ball from here one.

Jacob Duffy has come into the attack in the third over. It is the over which probably Matt Henry should be bowling, and it is his strength and the fact that New Zealand has decided to bring in Jacob Duffy and also wanted to keep the match-up of off-spinner bowling to left-hander in Abhishek, they seem to have missed a slight trick here. It was through that bilateral series before this World Cup it was a similar tactic which Santner has used. It does seem like Santner is playing on what has happened in the past rather than what is happening in front of him.

Nitin Sharma: In the matches played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in this T20 World Cup, the highest number of wickets lost for lowest number of runs inside a power play has been Canada’s four wickets lost for 50 runs against South Africa in the group stage in the tournament. West Indies score of 52 for 4 against South Africa remains the second in that list.

We are going to bowl first. Looks pretty good. We will see if it does anything and try and restrict them to a chasable score. Boys are good. This is why we are playing. It did. Great occasion, the semifinal and the guys will take confidence from that. This is biggest stage and everyone is ready. No McConchie, Duffy is playing.

Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bowl first against Suryakumar Yadav's India in the T20 World Cup final

Nitin Sharma: The Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad has hosted a total of 14 T20IS with one T20Is played in 2012 at the old stadium so far. India’s total of 234 for 4 against New Zealand in the third T20I during New Zealand Tour to India in 2023 remains the highest score at the ground. New Zealand’s total of 66 runs in that match remains the lowest total at this ground. Five times, a team has scored in excess of 200 runs at the ground with India scoring a total in excess of 200 runs three times at this ground with South Africa posting a total in excess of 200 runs at this ground twice in T20Is history at this stadium.

India’s batting line-up now features a stronger left-handed presence than in the past. Several key players, such as Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube, are left-handers, which changes the geometry of the contest against New Zealand’s slow bowlers. Against left-handers, Santner and Ravindra will no longer be turning the ball away from the bat but into it, potentially bringing the sweep, slog-sweep and inside-out loft into play.

Santner’s approach closely echoed the blueprint once used by Vettori. Bowling with a slightly flatter trajectory and excellent control, he repeatedly landed the ball on a teasing length outside off stump to right-handers. Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were among the batters who struggled to break free. The angle meant the ball kept moving away from the hitting arc, forcing miscued strokes and defensive prods that brought wickets.

Nitin Sharma: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner’s bowling figures of 4 for 11 remains the best for any bowler in the three T20 World Cup matches played between the India and New Zealand in the tournament’s history so far. Santner took four wickets during India’s chase of 127 runs int he Super 10 encounter at Nagpur in the 2016 T20 World Cup with India bundling out for a total of 79 runs in there pursuit of the target. Can Santner produce the same kind of magic at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today evening?

Nitin Sharma: Indian coach Gautam Gambhir’s knock of 51 runs in India’s ten-run loss against New Zealand in the group match in the 2007 T20 World Cup remains the highest score by any batsman in the three T20 World Cup matches played between the two countries in the tournament’s history so far. Will that record be broken at Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad today?

Nitin Sharma: Talking of New Zealand, Sunday’s final is New Zealand’s eighth ICC final appearance. The Kiwis have won the ICC Knockout Trophy in 2000 as well the World Test Championships final in 2021 but have faced defeat in rest of the ICC finals. The latest loss in an ICC final for New Zealand came last year in the Champions Trophy final at Dubai when they lost by four wickets against India.

Nitin Sharma: Sunday’s final is also the fourth final between India and New Zealand in an ICC tournament. New Zealand have won two out of the three such finals. Their first win came in the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya in 2000, when the Stephen Fleming led Kiwi side scored a four-wicket win over the Sourav Ganguly led Indian side to win their first ICC title. The second meeting between the two nationals inn ICC final happened in the 2021 ICC World Test championship, then the Kane Williamson led New Zealand side scored an eight wickets win over the Virat Kohli led Indian team to win the WTC final. The last time the two nations faced each other in an ICC final was in the 2025 Champions trophy where the Rohit Sharma led Indian team scored a four-wicket win over the Mitchell Santner led Kiwi side. Can India make the record 2-2 with a win against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final today?

Nitin Sharma: Good afternoon. As fans start settling at the Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad for the T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand this evening, here’s a ‘Data’ start to the evening

This is the fourth instance that India and New Zealand are facing each other in a T20 World Cup match with Sunday’s match being he first T20 World Cup final between the two countries. New Zealand has won all the three previous encounters between the two countries in the T20 World Cup with their first win coming in the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa. The Daneil Vettori led New Zealand side scored a ten-run win over the MS Dhoni Led Indian team in the match played at Johannesburg. DanielVettori claimed four wickets for New Zealand to set up the win The second time the two countries faced each other was in the the Super 10 stage at Nagpur in the T20 World Cup in 2016. The Kane Williamson led Kiwi side scored a 47-run win over the MS Dhoni led Indian side in the match with Mitchell Santner taking top four wickets during India’s chase of 127 runs in a low scoring thriller. The third time the two nations faced each other in the T20 World Cup history was in the T20 World Cup in 2021 at Dubai at Dubai. The Kane Williamson led New Zealand side scored an eight-wicket win over the Virat Kohli led Indian side in the match.

“If ICC ever allows someone to bowl six or eight overs, it will be Bumrah,” Surya joked. “He’s definitely a once-in-a-generation bowler… a national treasure.”

“You can lose a game at a venue and win the next one. What is there in this? We have won a lot of games in that stadium. Don’t make a stadium like this taboo,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’ while reflecting on the discussions around Ahmedabad ahead of the T20 World Cup final on Sunday.

However, the 39-year-old suggested that within the Indian dressing room, there is little interest in revisiting that narrative. “I don't think it should come into the way. I am sure, after a point of time, that monkey on the back will be there. But now, I don't think the team will be thinking on those lines,” the 106-Test veteran said.

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.

Hello and welcome to the final of India vs New Zealand. Both sides haveplayed bilateral series just before the tournament, and it was a pretty one-sided affair on that occasion with India blasting out the Kiwis bowling regularly, but this is a different ICC tournament, and New Zealand are a different prospect altogther India will need to be as good as they have been and give a full game to get over the line. It is a cracking game coming up, so stay with us for all the live updates.