Key events
New Zealand need 256 to win
20th over: India 255-5 (Tilak 8, Dube 26) India did well to reach 250. It was thanks to Shivam Dube, who pummelled 24 from Neesham’s final over. It started when Santner dropped a very tough diving chance at long-off, then accidentally headbutted the ball for four as he fell to earth.
Dube pulled a massive six, drove another over extra cover and pulled a one-bounce four round the corner. He turned down a single off the penultimate ball, then justified that decision by slapping four more through extra cover.
Dube finishes with 26 not out from 8 balls. India have scored 508 in 40 overs across the semi-final and final of a World Cup. And New Zealand need another 33-ball hundred from Finn Allen.
19th over: India 231-5 (Tilak 8, Dube 2) This has been an admirable fightback from New Zealand, who have taken four for 28 in the last four overs. At one stage India looked on course to make 300; now they’ll do well to reach 250.
WICKET! India 226-5 (Pandya c Santner b Henry 18)
Pandya calls for some magic spray between overs – not for an injury, but to improve his grip on the bat. It seems to work when he smears a full toss for six. But then he top-edges the next delivery high in the air and is taken by Santner. Pandya, who couldn’t get going at all, made 18 from 13 balls.
18th over: India 220-4 (Pandya 12, Tilak 5) Neesham, on a hat-trick from the previous over, is driven safely to mid-off by Pandya. No hat-trick but every dot ball is precious.
Pandya and Varma are struggling to time the ball, maybe trying a bit too hard. Pandya eventually gets his first boundary with a slap towards cow corner that just evades the flying Phillips. Not even he could turn that into a catching opportunity.
17th over: India 211-4 (Pandya 4, Tilak 4) Almost another wicket when Varma is dropped by Allen, a tough low chance at backward point off Duffy. Allen has hurt his thumb, which is already heavily strapped.
A good over for New Zealand, seven from it. If they can keep India to 240…
“How many is enough?” writes Stuart Webb. “Clearly declaration batting by India now, so call ‘em in at the end of the 18th over?”
16th over: India 204-4 (Pandya 1, Tilak 0) Jimmy Neesham conceded one run and took three wickets in that over, which may represent the biggest outlier in cricket history.
India’s hopes of reaching 300 are hanging by a thread.
WICKET! India 204-4 (Suryakumar c Ravindra b Neesham 0)
This is bonkers. For 15 overs the ball disappeared to all parts, and now Jimmy Neesham has taken three wickets in six balls! Suryakumar scooped his first ball towards fine leg, where Rachin Ravindra took a quite brilliant running catch.
WICKET! India 204-3 (Kishan c Chapman b Neesham 54)
Another full toss, another wicket! Kishan tries to hit a low full toss down the ground, one hand coming off the bat, and this time Mark Chapman takes the catch.
WICKET! India 203-2 (Samson c sub b Neesham 89)
Sanju Samson misses out on a century. He muscled a full toss from Neesham down the ground and was smartly caught on the boundary by the substitute Cole McConchie. But my goodness, what a week it’s been for Samson:
15th over: India 203-1 (Samson 89, Kishan 54) Kishan slog-sweeps Santner for six before driving a single to reach a brilliant 23-ball fifty. In some ways his has been the best innings of the three; I can barely recall a false stroke.
He hits four more down the ground to bring up the 200. Santner finishes with excellent – no, really – figures of 4-0-33-0. This is preposterous.
“I’m here Rob, but I’m speechless,” writes Alistair Connor. “Final against India in India… forget about winning. But the chase, though futile, will be fun.”
Ah, but Travis Head didn’t forget about winning. I guess Pat Cummins’ decision to bowl paid off that day, though the circumstances and conditions were a bit different.
India’s score is already the highest in a T20 World Cup final. There are six overs remaining.
Drinks: India smash 191 in the first 14 overs
14th over: India 191-1 (Samson 88, Kishan 43) Samson drives Ravindra sweetly down the ground for six and finds the experience sufficiently rewarding that he hits the next two for six as well: a pull into the crowd at cow corner and a gorgeous drive inside-out over wide mid-off. This is now the highest score in a T20 World Cup final; Samson needs 12 more to reach the first century. If Kishan doesn’t get there first.
“Nothing much to say,” says Mark Dawson, “except ‘blimey’.”
13th over: India 171-1 (Samson 69, Kishan 42) If only David Lynch was still with us, he could make a great short film about Mitchell Santner, a fever dream and the words ‘We’ll have a bowl’. I guess we’d have to explain cricket to him, but it’d be worth it.
New Zealand are powerless to stop India. Kishan clatters a stunning six over midwicket off Henry, who recovers pretty well to concede only four singles from the last four balls. Ten from the over. You know you’re in trouble as a fielding side when a double-figure over feels like respite.
“I’m trying to enjoy this, and credit to the Indians, they are extraordinary,” writes Bernard Hughes. “But it’s just too easy for these players to hit the ball for six. Even the leading edge flew into the crowd. I’ve been a cricket lover all my life, but I just can’t enjoy this kind of stuff.”
12th over: India 161-1 (Samson 67, Kishan 33) Seriously, folks, 300 is on here. Samson pulls and drives Ferguson for successive sixes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kishan rocks back to hammer another six over mid-on. And finally, a cute video about a cat Samson muscles four more over mid-off.
Lockie Ferguson’s figures are grisly as all hell: 2-0-48-0. Both overs went for 24, so you can insert your own joke about consistency here.
11th over: India 137-1 (Samson 50, Kishan 27) Kishan nails the first big shot off Santner, slog-sweeping lustily over midwicket for six. The man Kishan replaced had just smashed the fastest fifty of the World Cup, yet Kishan looks in even better nick!
Sanju Samson has looked in glorious touch at the business end of the World Cup, and he drives a single to reach a lovely 33-ball fifty. In the last eight days he’s made a half-century in a de facto quarter-final, an actual semi-final and now a final. If this isn’t the best week of his career, I’d like to know what is.
Here’s more on that legendary victory in 1983
10th over: India 127-1 (Samson 48, Kishan 19) Jimmy Neesham’s second ball is very close to a perfect fifth-stump yorker; Samson nonchalantly opens the face to steer four past the man at short third. That’s an outrageous stroke. Kishan slaps a cut for four more.
When India won their first white-ball World Cup, in 1983, they scored 183 in 54.4 overs. Today they’ve smashed 127 in 10.
9th over: India 115-1 (Samson 41, Kishan 14) Santner leads by example with another excellent over – five singles, one dot ball. India aren’t quite seeing him off but they are playing him with more respect than the other bowlers.
8th over: India 110-1 (Samson 38, Kishan 12) The new batter Ishan Kishan gets off to a flyer, hitting 12 from his first five balls – and it would have been 16 but for two superb pieces of fielding. The two boundaries Kishan did manage were beautiful strokes, a back-foot wave through midwicket and a classy steer past short third. India’s fearlesness with the bat is terrifying.
WICKET! India 98-1 (Abhishek c Seifert b Ravindra 52)
Rachin Ravindra strikes first ball! Abhishek chases a very wide delivery – it would have been called wide – and gets a very thin edge that is smartly taken up to the stumps by Tim Seifert.
A frustrating end for Abhishek, but that was a fantastic innings in the context of the game and especially his poor form: 52 from 21 balls with six fours and three sixes.
7th over: India 98-0 (Samson 38, Abhishek 52) Santner brings himself on in an attempt to restore something resembling order. And he does, conceding just six from the over. Four of them came from a classy back cut by Samson.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “I know nothing, but I’m a bit surprised that NZ chose to bowl first. Of course they’ll be hoping to restrict India to something chaseable, but runs on the board, scoreboard pressure etc. If India post 250+, NZ will be up against it I reckon, despite what they did to SA in the semi final…”
I love New Zealand, want to live there, and I love Mitch Santner, but bowling first required an dangerously big leap of faith.
Every cricketer dreams of playing in a World Cup final. But when Jacob Duffy got the nod ahead of Cole McConchie, a small part of him must have feared something like this: he has figures of 2-0-35-0.
Abhishek’s half-century, by the way, is the fastest at this World Cup.
Abhishek smashes an 18-ball fifty!
6th over: India 92-0 (Samson 33, Abhishek 51) Abhishek edges Duffy for four, wallops six down the ground, launches four over square leg. Chapman charged back, tried nobly to take an impossible diving catch and only succeeded in knocking the ball over the boundary.
Another mighty clout over midwicket for four brings up a remarkable 18-ball fifty for Abhishek, whose miserable tournament is a thing of the past. Before today he’d made 89 runs from nine innings, but now his 2026 World Cup will be remembered for a coruscating assault in the final.
5th over: India 72-0 (Samson 33, Abhishek 31) Mitchell Santner’s decision to give India first use of a road already looks highly questionable. Scoreboard pressure helped South Africa beat India earlier in this tournament, and it should have helped New Zealand beat England in the 2019 ODI final. Psychologically, especially when conditions are this good, batting first surely makes more sense.
It’s too late now and New Zealand are in all sorts. Santner goes back to Matt Henry, who starts with four wides in his first six balls. Abhishek blasts a slower ball over long-off for six, Samson hooks into the crowd for six more. India have scored 60 off the last three overs. They could get 300 here.
4th over: India 51-0 (Samson 24, Abhishek 23) The carnage has begun. Lockie Ferguson’s first over disappears for 24, most of them scored behind square. Abhishek hacked four over the keeper before driving a magnificent six inside-out over extra cover. Samson got a leading edge that flew over the third boundary for six, watched a couple of leg-side wides and then flicked four past short fine leg.
3rd over: India 27-0 (Samson 14, Abhishek 12) Matt Henry is replaced by Jacob Duffy after only one over. The gamble doesn’t pay off, with Duffy’s first over costing 15.
Abhishek larruped two fours over the top before hitting another big shot just short of Phillips at deep square leg. Samson finished the over with an imperious drive over mid-off for four.
2nd over: India 12-0 (Samson 9, Abhishek 3) With Cole McConchie left out of the side today, New Zealand give the new ball to the occasional offspinner Glenn Phillips. It’ll be interesting to see how Abhishek, who has had such a difficult tournament, goes about his innings.
He gets off the mark by driving his third ball for a single, then plays a sweet drive that is brilliantly stopped on the long-off boundary by Mitchell. That saved two runs.
1st over: India 7-0 (Samson 7, Abhishek 0) Matt Henry has a big LBW appeal against Samson turned down second ball. Mitchell Santner calmly signals an inside-edge to nip any discussion of a review in the bud. Replays show he was right.
After four dot balls, Henry drops fractionally short and is carted effortlessly over mid-on for six. How’s that for a first scoring stroke in a World Cup final?
Matt Henry will open the bowling to the in-form Sanju Samson and the out-of-form Abhishek Sharma. Let’s play!
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, India’s T20 World Cup-winning captains in 2007 and 2024, bring the trophy onto the field ahead of the national anthems. It’s almost time for the 2026 final to begin.
One New Zealand cricketer already has reason to remember Sunday 8 March 2026: Central Districts seamer Brett Randell took five wickets in five balls against Northern Districts, the first time that has ever happened in a first-class match.
Team news
India are unchanged. New Zealand bring in a seamer, Jacob Duffy, for a spinner, Cole McConchie.
India Abhishek, Samson (wk), Kishan, Suryakumar (c), Tilak, Hardik, Dube, Axar, Arshdeep, Varun, Bumrah.
New Zealand Seifert (wk), Allen, Ravindra, Phillips, Chapman, Mitchell, Santner (c), Neesham, Duffy, Henry, Ferguson.
New Zealand win the toss and bowl
“It looks a pretty good pitch – I think there will be a lot of runs in it,” says Mitchell Santner. “We know India have a powerful line-up so we’ll try and restrict them to a chaseable score.”
Suryakumar Yadav says India would have batted first, as they did to adequate effect against England on Wednesday.
Simon Burnton
The Narendra Modi Stadium is a spectacular, enormous dome, the largest cricket ground in the world. Tonight it will contain 130,000 people, the vast majority clad in India’s blue, and one ghost that terrifies them all.
This was supposed to be the site of India’s coronation as 50-over world champions in November 2023. But on an awkward surface, later rated average by the International Cricket Council, their batters struggled and Australia beat them comfortably.
Just 28 months later India return to play another World Cup final, in a different format, and seeking a very different outcome. “The circle has come to the same stadium that we left in 2023,” said Suryakumar Yadav. “Of course there are nerves. There will be butterflies in the stomach. But if there’s no pressure there’s no fun. So I’m very excited, and I’m sure the whole of India is excited.”
Preamble
After 29 days, 53 matches, 685 wickets, 753 sixes, seven centuries and two Super Overs, it’s time for the T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand. One take on the tournament is that 29 days, 53 matches etc. is a helluva lot of cricket just to find out who plays India in the final. Another is that, for reasons too many and varied to detail in a humble preamble, this has been among the most enjoyable T20 World Cups of all.
How we ultimately remember the competition will be partly shaped by what happens in Ahmedabad this afternoon. An Indian victory feels predictable, even that is unfair to both teams. A New Zealand win – which would be their first in a men’s World Cup after three finals defeats in 2015, 2019 and 2021 – would be the choice of many neutrals and most romantics.
India can also make history by becoming the first team to retain the men’s T20 World Cup and the first to win it three times. Victory today would also give them three ICC white-ball tournaments in a row, following the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and last year’s Champions Trophy.
It’s easy to think it’s easy when a team has as much talent as India, but it’s not. The last World Cup final to be played in Ahmedabad, when the chutzpah of Travis Head silenced an entire country, was a reminder of that. Whoever wins the World Cup will have earned it – not just today, but throughout the last month.
