T20 World Cup 2026: Men in Blue maul Kiwis to retain title

Riding on blistering knocks by Sanju Samson (89, 46b, 5x4, 8x6), Abhishek Sharma (52, 21b, 6x4, 3x6), Ishan Kishan (54, 25b, 4x4, 4x6), a cameo by Shivam Dube (26, 8b, 3x4, 2x6) and brilliant bowling performances by Jasprit Bumrah (4/15) and Axar Patel (3/27), defending champions India registered an emphatic victory of 96 runs against New Zealand in the final to retain title of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the  Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. In the process, they won the T20 World Cup for the third time, becoming the first team to do so.

Chasing a mammoth target of 256, the Kiwis were under tremendous pressure. They suffered early blows as the in-form Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips fell cheaply. Barring Tim Seifert (52, 26b, 2x4, 5x6) and Mitchell Santner (43, 35b, 3x4, 2x6), no other batters were able to give any challenge to the Indian bowlers. The Kiwis were eventually skittled out for 159 in 19 overs.

Earlier, India’s formidable batting line-up delivered a stunning performance in the T20 World Cup final, piling up a massive 255/5 in 20 overs, the highest total ever recorded in a T20 World Cup final.

After a cautious start in the first two overs, the Indian openers shifted gears quickly. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma launched a fierce counterattack, smashing 24 runs in the fourth over. The duo also scripted history by becoming the first opening pair to register a 50-plus stand in a T20 World Cup final. By the end of the powerplay, India had raced to 92 runs, the highest powerplay score of this edition and joint-highest in T20 World Cup history.

Despite not being in the best form earlier in the tournament, Sharma stepped up when it mattered the most in the final. Samson continued his rich vein of form, bringing up his third consecutive half-century, reaching the milestone off 36 balls. The right-hander produced another spectacular knock, hammering 89 runs off just 46 balls. With this performance, Samson became the third player to score a half-century in both the semi-final and final of a T20 World Cup. 

India’s top order fired collectively, with Ishan Kishan also making a significant contribution, further strengthening India’s dominant position. However, a single over from James Neesham briefly halted India’s momentum. Samson failed to capitalise on a full toss, while Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav were dismissed in the same over, the latter falling to a brilliant catch by Ravindra. India suddenly slipped from 203/2 to 204/4 in the 16th over.

After a brief slowdown, India accelerated again towards the end. Shivam Dube provided the late flourish, smashing three fours and two sixes in the final over to collect 24 runs and propel India beyond the 250-run mark.