Explosive batting and lethal bowling propelled India to T20 World Cup 2026 glory, smashing New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at Ahmedabad. Now with three titles—the most ever—and consecutive wins on home turf, India stands unparalleled in T20 history.
Financial windfall followed: $3 million (27.48 crore INR) for India. New Zealand: $1.6 million (14.65 crore). Semi-finalists SA & ENG: $790,000 each (7.24 crore). Super 8: $380,000 (3.48 crore); groups: $250,000 (2.29 crore). ICC’s total outlay: 120 crore INR.
Toss-winner Santner chose to bowl, regretting instantly as Samson (89 off 46: 8 sixes, 5 fours), Sharma (52 off 21: 3 sixes, 6 fours), Kishan (54 off 25: 4 fours, 4 sixes), and Dube (26 off 8: 2 sixes, 3 fours) piled 255/5.
NZ folded at 159/10 in 19 overs. Seifert 52 (26), Santner 43 (35), Mitchell 17 were lone warriors.
Bumrah (4/15), Patel (3/27), plus Pandya, Chakaravarthy, Sharma (1 each) sealed the rout.
Tournament MVP Samson shone with 97* vs WI, 89 in SF vs ENG. Bumrah’s final masterclass won him Player of the Match. India’s comprehensive performance signals a golden era in white-ball cricket.