Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy

Cricket commentary | India vs New Zealand, Final, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026

New Zealand have won the toss and have opted to field

Suryakumar Yadav: 

Happy to bat first since we have been doing that pretty well. Always good to have runs on the board in the semifinal or a final. It's history now, new World Cup and we are excited for it. It looks fully already and it's only toss time and hopefully we will give them a good show. Same team for us.

Mitchell Santner: 

We are going to bowl first. Looks pretty good. We will see if it does anything and try and restrict them to a chasable score. Boys are good. This is why we are playing. It did. Great occasion, the semifinal and the guys will take confidence from that

STAT: 11 of the 14 T20 World Cup knockout matches since 2016 (semis and the finals) have been won by the chasing side. Each of the three wins for the side batting first was by India.

Win this powerplay and literally win the game

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma are at the crease.

Sanju Samson is on strike.

Matt Henry will open the attack

@Narper

slow start!

IND 51-0(4) CRR:12.75

Sanju Samson 24(14)

Abhishek Sharma 23(10)

STAT: This is the first 50-plus opening stand in a Men’s T20 WC final. Previous highest: 48 between Kamran Akmal and Shahzaib Hasan against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 2009.

nz bowling looking like the wi

@velo

Same NZ bowlers made WI batters looked weak not so long ago.

STAT: 4 overs taken by India also makes it is the fastest team fifty in a T20 World Cup semis or the final.

Powerplay summary

-- Indian openers on a rampage in Ahmedabad

-- Two quiet overs to start and then they launch

-- NZ seamers taken to the cleaners

-- Plenty of wides as they fail to execute plans

-- Abhishek smashes fifty off just 18 balls

-- First 2 overs - 12/0, next four overs - 80/0

Highest PP scores in T20 WCs

92/0 - IND vs NZ, Ahmedabad, 2026 Final

92/1 - WI vs AFG, Bridgetown, 2024

91/1 - NED vs IRE, Sylhet, 2014

89/3 - ENG vs SA, Mumbai WS, 2016

86/1 - IND vs NAM, Delhi, 2026

Partnership: 96(40)

Last 5 overs: 87 runs, 0 wkts

7.1

Rachin Ravindra to Abhishek Sharma, out Caught by Tim Seifert!! This is a lucky wicket for New Zealand and they needed this bit of luck. It was a wide outside off stump, Abhishek lost balance reaching for it and got a feather on it. Tim Seifert threw threw the ball up immediately after gathering and umpire Alex Wharf had no doubts as well. Abhishek punches his bat

Abhishek Sharma c Tim Seifert b Rachin Ravindra 52(21) [4s-6 6s-3]

IND 100-1(7.2) CRR:13.64