India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the final to become the first team to retain the men's Twenty20 World Cup title at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Put in to bat, India capitalised on a 98-run opening stand between Sanju Samson (89) and Abhishek Sharma (52) to post 255-5.
Number three Ishan Kishan smashed 54, but James Neesham bowled a three-wicket over to apply the brakes on India's scoring rate towards the end of the innings.
Chasing a daunting target, New Zealand could not recover from a top-order collapse and were all out for 159 in 19 overs despite defiant knocks from Tim Seifert (52) and Mitchell Santner (43).
Follow all the latest updates from the Narendra Modi Stadium below.
T20 World Cup final
- India meet New Zealand in the giant Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad
- New Zealand win the toss and choose to field first
- India set New Zealand target of 256 to win T20 World Cup final
- WICKET! Finn Allen c Tilak Varma b Patel 9 (7), New Zealand 31-1
- WICKET! Rachin Ravindra c Ishan Kishan b Bumrah 1 (2), New Zealand 32-2
- WICKET! Glenn Phillips b Patel 5 (5), New Zealand 47-3
- WICKET! Mark Chapman b Pandya 3 (8), New Zealand 70-4
- WICKET! Tim Seifert c Ishan Kishan b Varun 52 (26), New Zealand 72-5
- WICKET! Daryl Mitchell c Ishan Kishan b Patel 17 (11), New Zealand 124-6
- WICKET! James Neesham b Bumrah 8 (7), New Zealand 141-7
- WICKET! Matt Henry b Bumrah 0 (1), New Zealand 141-8
- WICKET! Mitchell Santner b Bumrah 43 (35), New Zealand 152-9
- India win by 96 runs!
Match report as India win T20 trophy
18:41 , Lawrence OstlereIndia make new history with dominant T20 World Cup final triumph over sorry New Zealand:
India make history with dominant T20 World Cup final win over sorry New Zealand
Bumrah revels in victory
17:33 , Lawrence Ostlere“It feels extremely special,” says Jasprit Bumrah, who references the pain of losing the ODI World Cup final to Australia here. “I was very motivated.”
India win the T20 World Cup!
17:21 , Lawrence OstlereIndia beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday to become the first team to retain the men’s Twenty20 World Cup title.
Put in to bat, India posted a commanding 255-5 and then restricted their opponents to 159 in 19 overs.
India win the T20 World Cup!
17:14 , Lawrence OstlereJacob Duffy is caught and that’s that – India win by 96 runs!
18th over: New Zealand 154-9 (Duffy 1, Ferguson 3)
17:11 , Lawrence OstlereBumrah’s final ball of this World Cup is a dot. His work is done.
WICKET! Mitchell Santner b Bumrah 43 (35), New Zealand 152-9
17:09 , Lawrence OstlereBumrah produces yet another brilliant slow yorker! He has figures of 4-13. I think India are going to win this one.
17th over: New Zealand 152-8 (Santner 43, Ferguson 2)
17:07 , Lawrence OstlereArshdeep throws in a couple more wides and Santner hits a boundary, as he tip-toes towards what you suspect will be the least celebrated half-century of his career.
WICKET! Matt Henry b Bumrah 0 (1), New Zealand 141-8
16:59 , Lawrence OstlereAlmost identical to Neesham’s wicket, and Matt Henry is walking too! Bumrah is on a hat-trick...
WICKET! James Neesham b Bumrah 8 (7), New Zealand 141-7
16:58 , Lawrence OstlereBumrah delivers the perfect slow-ball yorker and it clatters into the base of Jimmy Neesham’s stumps!
15th over: New Zealand 139-6 (Santner 35, Neesham 8)
16:55 , Lawrence OstlereSantner and Neesham are still trying to hit boundaries but Arshdeep is not offering much to go at, here.
14th over: New Zealand 134-6 (Santner 34, Neesham 6)
16:50 , Lawrence OstlerePandya keeps New Zealand relatively quiet and they are petering out.
13th over: New Zealand, 128-6 (Santner 26, Neesham 4)
16:40 , Lawrence OstlereJimmy Neesham comes in next and immediately finds a boundary with a sweep shot.
WICKET! Daryl Mitchell c Ishan Kishan b Patel 17 (11), New Zealand 124-6
16:39 , Lawrence OstlereHardik Pandya puts down Santner on the run at point, at a very catchable height. He lets the very next ball run through him for four, too, and Axar Patel looks flabbergasted. But a moment later, Ishan Kishan catches takes Daryl Mitchell in the deep!
12th over: New Zealand 119-5 (Santner 26, Mitchell 17)
16:36 , Lawrence OstlereSantner releases his long arms and glides two high, high sixes over the rope off the bowling of Varun Chakravarthy. New Zealand still need around 17 runs per over, however...
11th over: New Zealand 103-5 (Santner 12, Mitchell 15)
16:32 , Lawrence OstlereArshdeep comes back into the attack and New Zealand have no choice but to go nuts. Daryl Mitchell clatters back-to-back sixes but then wears one on the thigh as Arshdeep tried to throw at the stumps, wildly and pointlessly, given Mitchell was inside his crease any way. Mitchell is furious and Arshdeep eventually apologises at the end over.
10th over: New Zealand 88-5 (Santner 11, Mitchell 2)
16:24 , Lawrence OstlereHardik Pandya goes for only five runs. The air has been sucked out of New Zealand’s chase.
9th over: New Zealand 83-5 (Santner 7, Mitchell 1)
16:20 , Lawrence OstlereSantner gets off the mark with a boundary.
WICKET! Tim Seifert c Ishan Kishan b Varun 52 (26), New Zealand 72-5
16:18 , Lawrence OstlereSeifert leans on to his back foot and tries to place the ball over the rope on the leg side, but he finds the fielder on the boundary, and that is surely the end of New Zealand’s hopes.
WICKET! Mark Chapman b Pandya 3 (8), New Zealand 70-4
16:13 , Lawrence OstlereMark Chapman tries to play Hardik Pandya through covers and chops on to his stumps! Oh dear, New Zealand are falling apart.
7th over: New Zealand 68-3 (Seifert 50, Chapman 2)
16:11 , Lawrence OstlereTim Seifert brings up his half century from 23 balls with a big six over long-on! Great hitting, and he carries New Zealand’s hopes in this final now.
6th over: New Zealand 52-3 (Seifert 35, Chapman 1)
16:10 , Lawrence OstlereAnother tight Bumrah over and New Zealand are well behind the game after the powerplay – India had more than 90 runs on the board, without losing a wicket.
5th over: New Zealand 47-3 (Seifert 31, Chapman 0)
16:01 , Lawrence OstlereAnother good over by Axar Patel. Phillips hit a couple of boundaries but then missed the one that skidded on.
Mark Chapman is the new man in.
WICKET! Glenn Phillips b Patel 5 (5), New Zealand 47-3
15:59 , Lawrence OstlereAxar Patel gets his man! Phillips plays for turn that isn’t there and it slides through the gate on to his leg stump.
4th over: New Zealand 36-2 (Seifert 24, Phillips 1)
15:56 , Lawrence OstlereBumrah at his best, taking a wicket and containing the new man in, Glenn Phillips.
WICKET! Rachin Ravindra c Ishan Kishan b Bumrah 1 (2), New Zealand 32-2
15:52 , Lawrence OstlereBumrah does it again! He took a wicket with his first ball in the semi-final, and he does it again to remove Ravindra here. He falls for the slower ball and pops it up into the air on the leg side, where Ishan Kishan sprints in to take an excellent diving catch.
3rd over: New Zealand 32-1 (Seifert 21, Ravindra 1)
15:51 , Lawrence OstlereGood over by Axar Patel. Bumrah will be next.
WICKET! Finn Allen c Tilak Varma b Patel 9 (7), New Zealand 31-1
15:50 , Lawrence OstlereYadav brings Axar Patel into the attack and it pays immediate dividends as the dangerous Allen finds long on! A big early breathrough.
2nd over: New Zealand 25-0 (Seifert 20, Allen 4)
15:45 , Lawrence OstlereHardik Pandya takes the second over. Tim Seifert hits the first six of the innings and follows it up with another, falling over to ramp over his shoulder over fine leg! He finishes the over with two fours, and New Zealand are up and running.
1st over: New Zealand 4-0 (Seifert 0, Allen 3)
15:40 , Lawrence OstlereDropped! Oh boy, what a chance. Finn Allen sends the fifth ball of the opening over into the sky and Shivam Dube gets underneath it, tracking backwards, but it slips through his fingers. India’s 15th drop of the tournament could be costly...
New Zealand chase 256
15:36 , Lawrence OstlereArshdeep Singh will bowl the first over...
India set New Zealand 256 to win
15:28 , Lawrence OstlereHere come Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, into the bear pit. Can they reproduce their stunning semi-final show? They will need to if New Zealand are to have any chance of chasing down 256...
India set New Zealand 256 to win
15:18 , Lawrence OstlereMatt Henry speaks to Sky Sports between innings and admits that New Zealand’s plan to take the pace away from India with plenty of slower balls just didn’t work. He is still backing his teammates to “do something special up top” and chase this one down.
20th over: India 255-5
15:14 , Lawrence OstlereShivam Dube stands and delivers, bludgeoning four successive boundaries off the first four balls of the over, the highlight being a booming strike over extra cover. He finds another four with the last ball of the innings, and India set New Zealand a pretty monstrous 256 to win the T20 World Cup. Wow.
19th over: India 230-5 (Dube 2, Varma 8)
15:07 , Lawrence OstlereHenry goes for 11, and Neesham will bowl the final over.
WICKET! Hardik Pandya c Santner b Henry 18 (13 balls), India 226-5
15:05 , Lawrence OstlereHenry goes for six and then picks up a wicket with the very next delivery, as Pandya sends an awkward swipe straight up into the air and the Kiwi captain gets underneath it.
18th over: India 220-4 (Pandya 12, Varma 5)
15:04 , Lawrence OstlerePandya finds his first boundary, slapping Neesham to cow corner.
17th over: 211-4 (Pandya 4, Varma 4)
14:56 , Lawrence OstlereFinn Allen drops Tilak Varma! The balls goes almost straight to him at backwards point but it bounces off Allens strapped left hand. He grimaces. Duffy still manages a relatively tight over, though.
WICKET! Suryakumar Yadav c Ravindra b Neesham 0 (1 ball), India 205-4
14:52 , Lawrence OstlereWow – Suryakumar Yadav tries to hook deep fine leg but Ravindra gets round brilliant before sliding to take the catch just inside the boundary. Three wickets off the over!
WICKET! Ishan Kishan c Chapman b Neesham 54 (25 balls), India 204-3
14:50 , Lawrence OstlereYadav opts to send Hardik Pandya in next, who picks up a single before watching Kishan send one into the hands of long-on. Neesham’s pumped.
So Yadav’s in now...
WICKET! Sanju Samson c sub (CE McConchie) b Neesham, 89 (46 balls) India 203-2
14:46 , Lawrence OstlereFinally Samson falls, for the same figure he reached against England, caught in the deep. Sensational innings by India’s opener.
15th over: India 203-1 (Samson 89, Kishan 54)
14:45 , Lawrence OstlereKishan joins Abhishek and Samson in making a half century, off Santner’s last over, and he takes India past 200. Still five overs to come...
14th over: India 191-1 (Samson 88, Kishan 43)
14:42 , Lawrence OstlereSamson hits three sixes in a row off Ravindra’s bowling and this is absolutely astonishing. New Zealand are cooked here, surely.
12th over: India 161-1 (Samson 67, Kishan 34)
14:29 , Lawrence OstlereFerguson is belted all around the ground as back-to-back sixes from Samson keep India racing through their innings. They pass 150 and Kishan takes his turn, smashing a six which just clears the rope at long-on, before Samson finishes the over with a four, rocking on to his back foot before clearing mid-on. Devastating batting!
11th over: India 137-1 (Samson 50, Kishan 27)
14:26 , Lawrence OstlereSantner continues – and that’s 50 for Sanju Samson! Off 33 balls. What a World Cup his is having.
10th over: India 127-1 (Samson 48, Kishan 19)
14:24 , Lawrence OstlereJimmy Neesham comes into the attack and Samson produces a brilliant stroke to send his yorker to the boundary.
9th over: India 115-1 (Samson 48, Kishan 18)
14:20 , Lawrence OstlereAnother excellent, tight over by Santner. Can he bowl the rest?
8th over: India 110-1 (Samson 38, Kishan 12)
14:14 , Lawrence OstlereIshan Kishan is quickly off the mark, picking holes in the Kiwi field.
WICKET! Abhishek Sharma, c †Seifert b Ravindra, 52 (21)
14:11 , Lawrence OstlereFinally New Zealand have a breakthrough! Ravindra’s first ball finds the thinnest nick and Seifert takes the catch behind the stumps to remove Abhishek for 52.
A brilliant innings, though, by the opener.
7th over: India 98-0 (Samson 38, Abhishek 52)
14:09 , Lawrence OstlereSantner stems the bleeding just a little, conceding only one boundary.
India explode out of the blocks
14:07 , Lawrence OstlereThose 92 runs are the highest tally of any side in the powerplay during this World Cup. Mitchell Santner is about to bring himself into the attack...
6th over: India 92-0 (Samson 33, Abhishek 51)
14:03 , Lawrence OstlereAbhishek attacks Duffy with four, six, four off the first three balls. The last of those is a half-chance for Mark Chapman at square leg, but he can’t quite get his hands on the ball running back towards the boundary. And another four brings up his half century!
Incredible start by the Indians, and racking up nearly 100 runs in the powerplay. New Zealand’s bowling plans haven’t worked.
5th over: India 72-0 (Samson 33, Abhishek 31)
13:58 , Lawrence OstlereNew Zealand have been penalised for a series of wides so far, and Matt Henry – brought back into the attack – is handing them out here, with four in this over. Oh dear, oh dear.
Abhishek shuffles wide in his crease to meet another wayward delivery and sends it down the ground for six, before Samson smashes another high six into the stands over mid-wicket.
4th over: India 51-0 (Samson 24, Abhishek 23)
13:53 , Lawrence OstlereAnother bowling change by Mitchell Santner as Lockie Ferguson comes into the attack. Abhishek will quite like that – he looked nervy against Phillips’ spin – and he goes on the attack once again, hitting boundaries off the first two balls including a huge six over long-off.
A bi six and a four by Samson adds to Ferguson’s pain, and it’s a brilliant over for India.
3rd over: India 27-0 (Samson 14, Abhishek 12)
13:46 , Lawrence OstlereJacob Duffy comes into the attack Abhishek tees off, firing back-to-back fours over mid-off and mid-on. Samson finishes off with another, and that’s an expensive over, going for 15 runs.
2nd over: India 12-0 (Samson 9, Abhishek 3)
13:41 , Lawrence OstlereA good start by Glenn Phillips – New Zealand’s front-line spinner without Cole McConchie in the side – as he restricts India’s openers to five runs. He’s helped by a brilliant bit of fielding on the rope by Daryl Mitchell.
1st over: India 7-0 (Samson 8, Abhishek 0)
13:37 , Lawrence OstlereAn excellent start from Henry as he earns four dot balls, but Samson launches the fifth over mid-on for six, just clearing the rope. A single to finish, and Samson keeps the strike.
T20 World Cup final – India v New Zealand
13:33 , Lawrence OstlereHere we go: Matt Henry to Sanju Samson... and the batter defends the first ball.
T20 World Cup final – India v New Zealand
13:31 , Lawrence OstlereAbhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson walk out into the middle and the noise is phenomenal.
T20 World Cup final – India v New Zealand
13:27 , Lawrence OstlereThe anthems are belted out, and we’re almost ready for action...
T20 World Cup final – India v New Zealand
13:22 , Lawrence OstlereMS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma carry the trophy out on to the field ahead of play. The Narendra Modi Stadium holds 130,000 fans and most of them are now in their seats, wearing blue, as the start approaches.
India stick with same XI
13:16 , Lawrence OstlereNo changes from the Indian team who knocked out England in the semi-finals:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand make one change
13:11 , Lawrence OstlereNew Zealand have decided to make one change, bringing in seamer Jacob Duffy for off-spinner Cole McConchie, on what has proved to be the least spin-friendly pitch in India during this World Cup:
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Jimmy Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
New Zealand win the toss
13:07 , Lawrence OstlereAn important start for New Zealand: Mitchell Santner wins the toss and elects to field.
T20 World Cup final
13:02 , Lawrence OstlereThe toss is coming up very shortly...
T20 World Cup final ticket prices soar
12:45 , Lawrence OstlereTicket prices for Sunday’s Twenty20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand have soared on the black market, with fans paying more than 15 times the original rate as demand overwhelms supply ahead of the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Official tickets, starting at 2,000 Indian rupees ($21.76), sold out within minutes on BookMyShow, prompting thousands of fans to turn to unofficial channels.
Some tickets with a face value of 3,500 rupees were selling for as much as 54,000 rupees when Reuters checked on the eve of the match.
Scalpers have seized control of the resale market, pushing prices far beyond face value as supporters scramble for a seat to witness India’s bid for back-to-back titles at the world’s largest cricket stadium, where more than 100,000 predominantly home fans are expected to turn up.
“I’ve paid 35,000 rupees for a 3,000-rupee ticket because I couldn’t get through the waiting list,” said a businessman from Mumbai requesting anonymity.
“There are specific WhatsApp groups for reselling tickets. You only get added if you’re serious, and it works strictly on advance payment so buyers don’t back out.”
T20 World Cup – Key match-ups
12:38 , Lawrence OstlereFinn Allen's form will pose a threat to India, whose bowling attack has suffered issues on flatter surfaces in this tournament and has constantly looked up to Jasprit Bumrah. The likes of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips are well versed with these conditions on offer, and have familiarity with the Indian bowling too.
Ishan Kishan has been the sole consistent performer in India's top-order. Abhishek Sharma is still struggling. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma have shuffled up and down the order on numerous occasions — it has worked at times. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube offer key hitting prowess.
How they fare against Matt Henry's pace and Santner's spin guile, as opposed to Allen versus Bumrah, will be key ingredients to this final.
India's route to the final
12:31 , Lawrence OstlereThrough round one, India finished top of Group A — also featuring Pakistan. Their sole hiccup in this tournament also came against South Africa — losing the first Super 8 game, also at Ahmedabad.
It served as a wake-up call for the defending champions — coach Gautam Gambhir switched openers as Sanju Samson came into the playing eleven to lighten the load on Abhishek Sharma. Samson has since scored 210 runs in three innings with back-to-back half-centuries against West Indies (Kolkata) and England (first semifinal in Mumbai).
New Zealand's route to the final
12:23 , Lawrence OstlerePrior to this tournament, New Zealand engaged with India in a five-match T20 series and lost 4-1. However, that squad had a lot of second-string players and not many will consider that scoreline as a pointer to this matchup.
Since then, New Zealand have shifted up through the gears. It finished second in Group D, losing only to South Africa in the first round. The Proteas did enjoy advantage in that game at Ahmedabad, playing most of its games at the same venue.
That balance overturned in Kolkata, when New Zealand thumped South Africa by nine wickets in the first semifinal. Clever bowling, both pace and spin, and Allen's 100 not out off 33 balls knocked the 2024 runner-up out of reckoning. In between, across the Super 8s, New Zealand only lost to England en route to the semifinals, beating Sri Lanka in Colombo, while its game against Pakistan was washed out.
T20 World Cup final
12:16 , Lawrence OstlereNew Zealand hope to tune out the noise in what will be an intimidating atmosphere.
"That's the goal isn't it? To silence the crowd, but I think there are a lot of variables in T20 cricket (as compared to ODIs) and it is fickle at times," captain Mitchell Santner said. "We have seen throughout this World Cup that a lot of teams are on a similar page and it comes down to little moments in every game that changes the outcome."
The Black Caps have some hurt of their own. They finished runner-up to England in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, a final that went down to the wire with two super overs played. They then lost the 2021 T20 World Cup final to Australia. It is only the second final appearance for New Zealand in this tournament's history.
T20 World Cup final
12:08 , Lawrence OstlereThe atmosphere is building in Ahmedabad, where fans are gathering ahead of this World Cup final:
India embracing the pressure of history
11:59 , Lawrence OstlereThe Narendra Modi Stadium — the largest cricket ground in the world — will once again be packed as India look to ward off the ghosts of the ODI World Cup final in 2023 when Australia beat them. Pat Cummins lifted the trophy at Ahmedabad as the Indian team watched in agony.
Rohit Sharma then led India to consecutive triumphs at the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, but that defeat to Australia still rankles.
India has won two T20 World Cups (2007 and 2024). England and the West Indies also have two titles. India return to Ahmedabad in pursuit of more silverware — again as co-hosts but this time also as defending champions.
"There is pressure, I cannot deny that," Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav said Saturday. "There is excitement too — playing another World Cup final and that too on home soil."
T20 World Cup final – India v New Zealand
11:52 , Lawrence OstlereIndia are facing New Zealand in today’s T20 World Cup final as the hosts aim to become the first country to win a third men’s crown in the shortest format of the game, and the first to retain the title.
India saw off England in Mumbai on Thursday to book their place in the showpiece at Ahmedebad, after New Zealand had shocked the tournament’s in-form side, South Africa, in the first semi-final in Sri Lanka.
India are the favourites with home advantage on their side and a surpreme batting line-up full of six-hitting power, including captain Suryakumar Yadav, wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and their semi-final match-winner Sanju Samson.
New Zealand boast their own power in Finn Allen, who blasted South Africa off the park in the semis, and Tim Seifert at the top of the order. But they will have to find a way to contain the great Jasprit Bumrah if they are to overcome India and lift the T20 World Cup for the first time.
Predicted line-ups
11:44 , Lawrence OstlereHere’s how the two sides could line up:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Jimmy Neesham, Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
How to watch the game
11:43 , Lawrence OstlereIndia take on New Zealand at the giant Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today, from 1.30pm GMT (7pm local time).
The final will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can also stream the game online via the Sky Sports website and Sky Go app.
T20 World Cup final – India v New Zealand
11:36 , Lawrence OstlereHello and welcome along as we bring you live updates from the T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand. Will India become the first country to win a third men’s T20 crown, or will New Zealand get their hands on their first?
