India vs New Zealand Highlights, T20 World Cup final: Dominant India make history in Ahmedabad with third title

That’s it from us in our coverage of the 2026 T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand. Thank you and good night!

India have been the dominant T20I team since 2024, and are the deserved champions in the end. And for a happy change, they actually get to lift the trophy for once after being denied the silverware in the Asia Cup!

“I think it’ll take a little bit of time but definitely very happy. Been a long journey. Started post the 2024 World Cup. Jay Shah, Rohit bhai, they all showed faith in me and gave me opportunity to lead. From there it’s been a long journey and coming here and winning it. We have been playing good cricket in the last two years and we just wanted to follow the good cricketing habits that we had in the 2024 World Cup. Boys took it really well. [On keeping faith in players] I think it’s really important to understand what they are capable of. And I knew they had the match winners in them. The timing was perfect. Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma they are top players and we knew they would do something special, and they did it in the final. Bumrah is a once-in a generation bowler. I can call him a national treasure. He knows how it needs to be done, he is the best in the business,” says ‘SKY’ after captaining India to victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup!

Player of the Final Jasprit Bumrah is the first from his team to walk up to the stage and the homeboy gets a rousing reception from the Ahmedabad crowd!

“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,” says Santner, who’s led the Black Caps to back-to-back ICC white-ball finals now.

Finn Allen, who had propelled the Black Caps into the final with a magnificent 100 not out against South Africa in the semi-final, is the first player to walk out to the dias to receive his medal.

India are on the verge of being handed the glittering trophy. First up we have the match officials receiving their awards.

India have made it to four consecutive finals in ICC white-ball events since 2023. After suffering a heartbreak against Australia in the 2023 World Cup, India went on to win the 2024 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions and the 2026 T20 World Cup – beating South Africa followed by consecutive wins against New Zealand!

Talk about bossing global events!

New Zealand have made it to the final of an ICC white-ball event five times over the last 11 years. They had lost the final of the 2015 and 2019 ICC World Cups against Australia and England respectively. They had also lost the 2021 T20 World Cup final against the Aussies.

They have now suffered back-to-back losses against India – in last year’s ICC Champions Trophy and in the 2026 T20 World Cup.

The Indian Test and ODI captain congratulates Suryakumar Yadav and Co for making the entire nation proud.

Kohli, who was the Player of the Final in India’s triumph in the 2024 edition in the US and the Caribbean, hails the Men in Blue for their “phenomenal win in Ahmedabad” and their “explosive cricket throughout the tournament”.

Tilak Varma timed his jump perfectly at long on to complete a fine catch off Abhishek Sharma’s bowling, with Jacob Duffy being the last New Zealand batter to fall

“Feels like a dream. Very happy and grateful. Out of words, out of emotions. [On his three fifties, thought process] To be honest, it started one-two years before. When I was in the 2024 World Cup team where I didn’t play, I kept visualising, kept on working and this was exactly what I wanted to do. After the NZ series I was broken, my dreams were completely shattered. And I was thinking what can I do. But God had different plans. And I was rewarded for being brave enough to dream. A lot of former players have reached out to me and tried to help me out. For the last couple of months, I have been in constant contact with Sachin sir. I reached out to him and had big big conversations with him. Getting a guidance from someone like him, what more can you ask for? I am very grateful for everyone who supported me,” says the keeper-opener, who finishes with 321 runs in five outings at an average of 80.25 and strike rate of 199.37, signing off from the tournament with a hat-trick of wins.

“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,” says India’s pace spearhead, who finishes the joint-leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets at an average and economy of 12.42 and 6.21 respectively.

R Kaushik writes from Ahmedabad: The clock had ticked over to 10.43 pm when the moment arrived courtesy a catch from Tilak Varma at long-on. Fittingly, it was off the bowling of Abhishek Sharma, who has had a difficult tournament but came good when it mattered most in the final. Brought on with the result done and dusted, Abhishek got rid of Jacob Duffy, brought in for the title clash, to spark wild celebrations in the stands and only slightly less muted ones in the middle as India crushed their bugbears by 96 runs for the most commanding of victories.

This was the very definition of a team effort. Blazing half-centuries from the top three of Abhishek, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, a final flourish from Shivam Dube that put the total almost out of reach of New Zealand, three wickets for Axar Patel, the unsung hero of many a campaign, and a signature effort from the talisman Jasprit Bumrah, who finished with four wickets. Bumrah’s relentless accuracy meant three batters were bowled, either yorked by full-pace deliveries or foxed by off-pace ones. Even Varun Chakravarthy, who endured a terrible second phase, played his part with the scalp of the dangerous Tim Seifert who, along with Mitchell Santner, provided the only pockets of resistance.

Kishan followed up his 23-ball half-century with a sensational catch to dismiss Rachin Ravindra, and even though Hardik Pandya was below his best on the field, it was too insignificant to quibble over on such a memorable night. The ghosts of the 2023 World Cup final defeat to Australia were laid to rest in style. India became the first three-time champions, the first team to triumph on home soil and the first outfit to defend its title. Suryakumar Yadav’s place in history is secure, as is Bumrah’s as the peerless bowler of his generation. Bravo, Team India!

R Kaushik has been a cricket writer for over three decades. He has worked with Deccan Herald and Wisden India in the past.

“To be honest, we have prepared since last one and a half years. We have prepared to bat at any position for the team. We are up for it and in the right mindset to bat at any position. [The fielding] Actually when the team needs it the boys always stand up in the field. Today also I won’t say it was the best fielding, but we took some good catches and end of the day I’m happy we won the final. Next couple of days will be a big party with the boys,” says the left-hander, who adapted brilliantly to the middle-order in order to allow Sanju Samson’s return at the top of the order.

“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 left-arm pacer, who’s now a two-time T20 world champion, tells Harsha Bhogle.

“It was always there to hit some big sixes. That was my role from the first day of the tournament. I always back myself and think that whenever I get opportunity, I’ll hit some sixes. I have developed a lot, my bowling, but it didn’t come off this tournament. Hopefully will do better in the future,” says the all-rounder in a chat with Danny Morrison after India’s victory.

Abhishek Sharma: “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 antoher, 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.”

India are the most successful team in the history of the T20 World Cup by winning their third title. They also become the first team to win back-to-back titles and also lift the trophy as the host nation!

And they did so in dominant fashion, barely allowing New Zealand to cross 150 after posting a mammoth 250 to win! Suryakumar Yadav becomes the third Indian captain to lift the T20 World Cup after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma!

IT’S ALL OVER IN AHMEDABAD! Tilak Varma pulls off a superb catch at long on as Abhishek Sharma grabs the final wicket, getting rid of Jacob Duffy! New Zealand are bowled out for 159 after being set a daunting 256 to win at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium!

And it’s another slower ball from the master that deceives the New Zealand skipper, who perishes for a 35-ball 43 after swinging his blade and missing the ball, hearing the death rattle as a result. NZ 152/9 in 17.3; need 104 off 15

Santner moves into the 40s by swinging his bat and guiding a full toss from Arshdeep towards the wide long on fence. Nine from Arshdeep’s final over as he signs off with figures of 0/32. And it takes New Zealand 17 overs to breach the 150 mark, and they still need more than 100 to win with three overs and two wickets left! NZ 152/8 in 17; need 104 off 18

Another slower ball from the magician, and this time it’s Matt Henry who misses the ball completely to get castled for a golden duck! India are two wickets away from making history in Ahmedabad! NZ 141/8 in 15.4

Bumrah starts his third over on a tidy note and fires a slower full toss at Neesham in the third delivery that dips late. Neesham misses completely after swinging his blade, and the ball goes on to hit the base of the stumps. NZ 141/7 in 15.3

Arshdeep concedes just five in his third over, with New Zealand having not collected a boundary for two overs at a time when their asking rate has gone past 20! Even Santner and Neesham are looking deflated at the moment, knowing that 256 is a long way off and they don’t have enough wickets in hand. NZ 139/6 in 15

R Kaushik writes from Ahmedabad: Tim Seifert fought on gamely, making a New Zealand record fourth T20 World Cup half-century, but it was India all the way in the second chunk of eight overs too as they moved tantalisingly close to extending their lease on the trophy.

New Zealand, rocked by three early strikes in the Power Play, never really got going despite Seifert’s excellence and a flurry of sixes from Mitchell Santner, the skipper who took a shine to Varun Chakravarthy. The leg-spinner had another forgettable day in the office though he did pick up the crucial wicket of Seifer with a veritable long-hop that the opener hit straight down the throat of deep mid-wicket.

After leaving the Kiwis gasping at 52 for three after six overs, India got rid of Mark Chapman. The left-hander dragged a Hardik Pandya delivery angled across him back on to his stumps and three deliveries later, Chakravarthy practically killed the chase with the vital scalp of Seifert. It was the bowler’s 14th wicket of the tournament, making him the leading wicket-taker of this edition, and marked the 22nd straight game where he had taken at least one wicket.

Daryl Mitchell, who has a terrific record against India, and Santner then got involved in the highest stand of the innings to that point, adding 52 for the sixth off just 28 deliveries. India oscillated between the excellent and the ordinary in the park with Pandya shelling a straightforward chance at short third man off Santner and then misfielding the next ball to concede a boundary off Axar’s bowling. But Mitchell perished in the same over, smashing a full toss to deep mid-wicket, leaving Santner to take the fight forward in the company of Jimmy Neesham.

India bowled Pandya out by the 14th over, which the Kiwis finished on 134 for six the former Gujarat Titans skipper finishing with one for 36, a good recovery after conceding 21 in his first.

R Kaushik has been a cricket writer for over three decades. He has worked with Deccan Herald and Wisden India in the past.

Hardik Pandya bowls out his final over, conceding just six off it to sign off with figures of 1/36. India opt for a review after an unsuccessful LBW appeal against Santner in the first ball, and the yorker from over the wicket to the left-hander is found to be pitching outside leg. Drinks brought to the field now. Santner’s batting on 34 off 22 with Jimmy Neesham on 6 off 3 at the moment. These two can bat in any situation. But New Zealand have a mountain to climb from here, and they will have to pull off a Herculean task from here!

Daryl Mitchell’s the latest to depart after holing out to Ishan Kishan at deep midwicket to depart for 17 off 11 balls! Axar should have had his third wicket earlier in the over, with Pandya having dropped a sitter at backward point to give Santner a reprieve on 26. NZ 124/6 in 12.5; need 132 off 43

Don’t count the Black Caps out of this contest just yet despite the daunting asking rate. New Zealand’s hopes continue to hang by a thread after captain Santner smashes Varun for back-to-back sixes, hitting the ball straight down the ground on both occasions. NZ 119/5 in 12; need 137 off 48