India managed to set a target of 256 against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final after a blitz from Samson (89 off 46 balls), Abhishek Sharma (52 off 21) and Ishan Kishan (54 off 25 balls). India were asked to bat first by New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
After just over a month of relentless action, India and New Zealand are left standing as the finallists of the 2026 T20 World Cup. In recent years, these two teams have faced each other in finals of ICC events with India defeating the Kiwis in the Champions Trophy final in 2025 while the Black Caps got one up on the hosts in the final of the 2021 World Test Championship.
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Both teams haven’t really looked like an all conquering unit in this World Cup leaving Sunday’s match to be any one’s ball game. India stuttered to a 29-run win over USA to start their campaign before defeating Namibia in the following match. They then trounced Pakistan and ended the group stage commitments with a win over Netherlands.
India vs New Zealand Final Playing 11, T20 World Cup 2026: Know here
They, however, got a jolt when they went down to South Africa in the first match of the Super 8s before recovering to beat Zimbabwe and West Indies and qualifying for the semis where they eked out a nervy 7-run win against England.
IND vs NZ T20 World cup Final Live Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Know here
In contrast, New Zealand played their best match of the tournament in the semifinal against South Africa where they smashed the Proteas by 9 wickets. However, their start wasn’t that strong with the Kiwis falling to South Africa in the Group stages after defeating Afghanistan and UAE. They qualified for the Super 8s after defeating Canada but their first match in the Super 8s vs Pakistan was washed out. They then defeated Sri Lanka and lost to England and had to wait till the last day of the round to know their fate. With Pakistan failing to overhaul their net run rate vs Sri Lanka, New Zealand scraped through to the last 4.
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Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav ahead of T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad. (Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)
Can Suryakumar Yadav’s Team India produce the perfect game in the final?
The vacant orange seats of the Narendra Modi Stadium burned bright in the hot Ahmedabad sun. So hot that even the pictures would emit the heat. Children in white shirts, trousers and caps rehearsed flag choreography while the PA rolled out music. The tired ground staff coiled in their dugouts to catch a siesta.
The afternoon before the final was laid back and without the buzz that marked the last time India featured in a summit clash here, in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where Australia humbled them, and jet planes pirouetted into the air. (READ MORE)
