INDIA DEFEND T20 WORLD CUP CROWN

New Delhi, Mar 09, 2026 : India retained the Men’s T20 World Cup title with a commanding 96-run victory over New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, becoming the first team to defend the trophy and the first to win the tournament three times. Riding on Sanju Samson’s explosive 89 off 46 balls and Jasprit Bumrah’s devastating spell of 4/15, India outclassed New Zealand in front of a crowd of 86,824. India piled up 255/5 — the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup final — before bundling out New Zealand for 159 in 19 overs, with Tim Seifert’s fighting 52 the lone bright spot for the visitors.

India’s innings was built on an explosive start as Samson and Abhishek Sharma added 98 for the opening wicket. Abhishek blazed to 52 off 21 balls while Ishan Kishan kept the momentum going with a rapid 54 off 25 deliveries. James Neesham briefly slowed the charge with three wickets in an over, dismissing Samson, Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in quick succession, but Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 26 off eight balls ensured India crossed the 250 mark.

Defending 256, India struck early through Axar Patel and Bumrah to leave New Zealand struggling at 52/3 in the powerplay. Seifert counter-attacked with a 23-ball fifty, but wickets kept falling at the other end. Axar returned figures of 3/27, while Bumrah wrapped up the innings with three late wickets as New Zealand were bowled out for 159.

The victory also ended two long-standing jinxes for India — their first win over New Zealand in a T20 World Cup and their first ICC white-ball triumph in Ahmedabad after defeats in the 2023 ODI World Cup final and earlier in the tournament. Captain Suryakumar Yadav thus became the fourth Indian skipper to lead the country to a men’s World Cup title, continuing India’s dominance in the shortest format under head coach Gautam Gambhir.