India put behind the disappointment of the 2023 World Cup final with a dominant 96-run victory over New Zealand in Ahmedabad to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title.
Playing at the same venue where they had fallen short against Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, the co-hosts delivered a commanding performance in front of more than 100,000 cheering fans. India posted a formidable total of 255 for 5, two runs more than their score in the semi-final against England earlier in the tournament.
India’s top-order made the most of excellent batting conditions. Sanju Samson led the charge with a blistering 89 off 46 balls, while Abhishek Sharma smashed 52 off just 21 deliveries. Ishan Kishan also contributed with a quickfire 54 from 25 balls.
India looked set for an even bigger total before Jimmy Neesham struck three times in the 16th over to slow the momentum. However, Shivam Dube finished strongly, scoring 24 runs in the final over to ensure India crossed the 250-run mark.
Chasing a daunting target, New Zealand started aggressively with Tim Seifert scoring 52 off 26 balls. However, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Finn Allen, who had scored a century in the semi-final, was dismissed early for nine in the third over.
Jasprit Bumrah delivered a standout bowling performance, dismantling New Zealand’s lower order to finish with figures of 4 for 15. The Black Caps were eventually bowled out for 159 in 19 overs.
With the victory, India became the first team to successfully defend the men’s T20 World Cup title. The win also marked India’s third consecutive triumph in men’s white-ball ICC tournaments, following the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
For New Zealand, the loss adds to a series of near misses in global finals, including the World Cups of 2015, 2019 and 2021
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