India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to become T20 champions for the third time.
In the final match played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, New Zealand won the toss against India and decided to bowl first.
Batting first, India scored 255 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs against New Zealand, thanks to brilliant batting by Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma.
Sanju Samson scored 89 runs off 46 balls, Ishan Kishan made 54 runs off 24 balls, and Abhishek Sharma scored 52 runs off 21 balls. Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 26 runs from 8 balls. For New Zealand, James Neesham took 3 wickets, while Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra took one wicket each.
Chasing a target of 256 runs, New Zealand were bowled out for 159. For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner scored 43 runs and Tim Seifert made 52 runs. Rachin Ravindra scored 1 run, Mark Chapman 3 runs, Glenn Phillips 5 runs, James Neesham 8 runs, Finn Allen 9 runs, and Daryl Mitchell 17 runs.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets, Axar Patel took three wickets, while Varun Chakravarthy, Abhishek Sharma, and Hardik Pandya took one wicket each.
Earlier, Sanju Samson played an outstanding innings of 89 runs for India, while Ishan Kishan scored 54 runs and Abhishek Sharma added 52 runs.
India created history with this victory. They not only defeated New Zealand in the final but also set several records. Before this, no team had ever won two T20 World Cup trophies consecutively. India has now become the first team in the world to successfully defend its T20 World Cup title.
Not only that, but no team had previously won the T20 World Cup on home soil. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India achieved this feat as well. India has now become the team with the most T20 World Cup titles, winning the tournament three times. The West Indies cricket team is next, having won the title twice.
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