India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to win the title for the third time.
The final match was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad where New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Batting first, India posted a massive total of 255 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs, with strong performances from Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma.
Sanju Samson scored 89 runs off 46 balls, while Ishan Kishan made 54 runs from 24 deliveries and Abhishek Sharma added 52 runs from 21 balls. Shivam Dube also contributed with an unbeaten 26 runs off 8 balls.
For New Zealand, James Neesham took three wickets while Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra claimed one wicket each.
Chasing a target of 256 runs, New Zealand were bowled out for 159 runs in 19 overs. Tim Seifert scored 52 runs and captain Mitchell Santner added 43, but they could not guide their team to victory.
Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets and Axar Patel claimed three wickets for India, playing a key role in the win.
With this victory, India became the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup title, having previously won the tournament in 2007 and 2024.
