India won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs.

Ahmedabad, March 8, 2026: The India team crowned champions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

With this victory, India secured their third T20 World Cup title.

The India national cricket team delivered a powerful batting performance to post 255/5 in 20 overs against New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

India started briskly with openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson:

After losing the toss, India began aggressively with openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma attacking the New Zealand bowlers from the outset.

The pair raced to 51 runs in just four overs, putting immediate pressure on the opposition.

Abhishek Sharma soon found rhythm and played on blistering innings, scoring 52 runs off just 21 balls.

India reached 92 runs in the first six overs, the highest powerplay total of the tournament.

Sharma was eventually caught behind off the bowling of Rachin Ravindra.

After Sharma’s dismissal, Ishan Kishan came at number three and quickly settled at the crease.

Meanwhile, Sanju Samson continued his brilliant batting display and brought up his half-century in 33 balls.

India’s aggressive batting pushed the score to 191 runs in 14 overs with just one wicket down.

Kishan also reached his fifty in 23 deliveries, maintaining the scoring momentum.

Neesham’s triple strike:

New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham turned the game briefly in the latter stages by taking three crucial wickets.

He dismissed Sanju Samson for 89 runs, Ishan Kishan for 54 runs and Suryakumar Yadav without scoring a run.

This sudden collapse slowed India’s momentum during the final overs. Hardik Pandya was also dismissed by Matt Henry.

Late blitz by Shivam Dube:

India regained momentum in the final over when Shivam Dube launched the late on slot.

He scored 26 runs off just 8 balls, including two sixes and three fours, smashing 24 runs in the final over bowled by Jimmy Neesham.

Tilak Verma added 8 runs as India finished with a massive 255/5 in 20 overs, setting a challenging target for New Zealand in the final.

New Zealand’s chase falls apart:

New Zealand began aggressively with openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert.

Seifert attacked early and hit 21 runs on one over of Hardik Pandya.

However, India soon regained control.

Finn Allen was dismissed by Axar Patel for 9 runs.

Rachn Ravindra fell to Jasprit Bumrah for 1 run.

Glenn Philips was bowled by Axar Patel for 5 runs.

New Zealand ended the powerplay at 52/3.

Despite wickets falling, Tim Seifert continued attacking and reached 50 runs in 23 balls before being dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy for 52.

Further wickets followed quickly as Mark Chapman was dismissed by Hardik Pandya, Daryl Mitchell was caught off Axar Patel for 17, Jimmy Neesham was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah for 8, and Matt Henry was bowled by Bumrah for 0.

Bumrah was even on a hat-trick, but Lockie Ferguson managed to survive the delivery.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner fought briefly with 43 runs, but he too was bowled by Bumrah.

Bumrah leads India’s bowling:  

Jasprit Mumrah delivered a match-winning performance with the ball. He was declared player of the match for his outstanding performance of taking 4 wickets for just 15 runs in 4 overs.

His disciplined bowling ensured that New Zealand never came close to chasing the massive target.

Final Result:

India- 255/5 in 20 overs. New Zealand 159 all out. India won by 96 runs to lift the T20 World Cup trophy for the third time.

Sanju Samson was declared player of the series for his back-to-back half-centuries. He scored 97 against West Indies, 89 against England in the Semi-final and 89 against New Zealand in the final.  

Also Read: India beat England by 7 runs in a thrilling T20 semi-final at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

EOM.