Ahmedabad, March 9 (IANS) New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner expressed pride in his team’s journey in the tournament despite their defeat in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 against co-hosts India, acknowledging that they were outplayed by a strong side in front of a passionate home crowd.
Reflecting on the campaign, Santner praised his players for overcoming challenges and fighting hard at every stage, while also crediting India for their performance and composure under the pressure of playing a home World Cup.
Fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah picked 4-15 as India became the first team to retain the Men’s T20 World Cup title and win the crown for a record three times after beating New Zealand by 96 runs in front of 86,824 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
“Proud of the boys to make it this far. Obviously, we had some challenges throughout, but at each stage we put up a good fight. Today, we got outplayed by a great team in front of a great crowd. To see a big sea of blue, obviously India were home favourites. Playing a home World Cup comes with a lot of pressure. But yeah, SKY and the boys should be very, very proud. Different guys stood up at different stages. In the Super Eight and semi-finals, we put up a good fight, but tonight we were obviously outplayed,” said Mitchell Santner after the match
Sanju Samson’s blistering 89 off 46 balls, laced with five fours and eight sixes, powered India to 255/5, the highest total in a T20 World Cup final, before Jasprit and Axar Patel (3-27) ripped through New Zealand’s top order to seal victory. The visitors were dismissed for 159 in 19 overs, with only Tim Seifert offering resistance through a fighting 52.
Samson, in prime form after scores of 97 not out and 89 in his previous innings, shared a 98-run opening stand with Abhishek Sharma (52 off 21 balls) while Ishan Kishan added 54 off 25 deliveries. James Neesham briefly checked the charge with three wickets in an over, but Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 26 off eight balls pushed India past 250.
India’s bowlers then ensured there was no repeat of the semi-final scare against England, reducing New Zealand to 52/3 inside the powerplay. The win broke two hoodoos – India’s first victory over New Zealand in a T20 World Cup and their first ICC white-ball triumph in Ahmedabad after defeats in the 2023 ODI final and earlier in this tournament.
–IANS
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