India created history on Sunday, March 8, 2026, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to become the first team to win three T20 World Cup titles. The defending champions also became the first side to retain the trophy and the first host nation to lift the title on home soil.
The hosts posted a tournament-high 255 for 5 in 20 overs, the highest total ever recorded in a T20 World Cup final. India’s innings was explosive from the start and set an overwhelming target of 256 for New Zealand.
Left-hander Abhishek Sharma produced one of the day’s early fireworks, reaching a half-century off just 18 balls — the fastest fifty of the T20 World Cup 2026 — racing to a quick start with six fours and three sixes. Later, Sanju Samson anchored the middle order with a powerful 89 off 46 balls, including five fours and eight sixes, the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final and the first time a batter has passed 85 in the tournament’s summit match.
Chasing 256, New Zealand struggled to match the required rate and were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs. India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah produced a match-defining spell of 4 for 15 in four overs — the best figures by a fast bowler in a T20 World Cup final — while the rest of the bowling attack kept steady pressure on the visitors.
The 96-run margin is India’s largest win in a T20 World Cup match. The triumph adds to India’s earlier T20 World Cup victories in 2007 and 2024, cementing the nation’s dominance in the shortest international format.
Original Source: https://www.guwahatiplus.com/india/india-become-first-team-to-win-three-t20-world-cups-thrash-new-zealand-in-final
Category: India
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Publish Date: 2026-03-08 23:07:00
