Defending Champion India brings the #ICCT20WorldCup home, crushes New Zealand by 96 runs in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
India crushed New Zealand by 96 runs to retain the T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The hosts unleashed a relentless assault on the Kiwi bowlers, and the match was effectively decided in the first innings. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan dominated the scoreboard as India posted a massive 255 runs. It is the highest-ever total in a T20 World Cup final and India’s second-highest in the tournament.
The innings began with a blitz from Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 52 runs off just 21 balls. Leading up to the final, there were concerns over Abhishek’s form, with many former players suggesting he be replaced by Rinku Singh. However, captain Suryakumar Yadav backed him, and the southpaw set the perfect tone for India.
After Abhishek’s dismissal, Samson and Kishan carried the momentum, adding a 105-run partnership that effectively put New Zealand out of contention. Samson scorched 89 off 46 balls, breaking Virat Kohli’s record for the most runs by an Indian in a single T20 World Cup edition. Kishan contributed a quickfire 54 off 25 balls, finishing as India’s second-highest run-scorer of the tournament.
In the 16th over of the game, James Neesham picked up three wickets in an over to put the brakes on India’s ship but it was he in the 20th over who conceded 24 runs to re-establish India’s momentum. Shivam Dube handed India the perfect end as the Men in Blue were delighted with the score after the first innings.
What happened in the second innings
With Finn Allen and Tim Seifert in the ranks, New Zealand were never really out of the contest, despite India seemed favourite. The duo wreaked havoc in the semi-final against South Africa in Kolkata and if they had kept up with the momentum, India would have been under tremendous pressure. However, that didn’t happen as the hosts were tactically far superior.
The BlackCaps smacked Hardik Pandya for 21 runs in the second over and it seemed that the Kiwis would give a good fight but in the third over, India brought Axar Patel into the attack, who sent Allen packing. He also sent Glenn Phillips packing, while Jasprit Bumrah got the better of Rachin Ravindra.
Seifert, however, kept up with the momentum, scoring a half-century, but he had very little support from the other end. Varun Chakravarthy eventually got the better of him and with that, he became the joint-leading wicket-taker of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Towards the end, Mitchell Santner kept the scoreboard ticking but the game was very much out of New Zealand’s reach. He scored 43 runs in the middle. Meanwhile, towards the fag end, Bumrah claimed three wickets and four overall to close the game and help India become the first team to retain the T20 World Cup and win it at home. He also joined Varun to become the joint-leading wicket-taker.
