Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Defending champions India face New Zealand in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The match will kick off at 7:15 pm. (NST)
India booked their place in the final with a narrow seven-run win over England in a thrilling semi-final, while New Zealand stormed past South Africa in a largely one-sided contest to secure their spot.
The 2024 champions enter the final as favourites. Sanju Samson has rediscovered his form, even though Abhishek Sharma’s loss of form could worry India. Samson struck an unbeaten 97 in India’s must-win Super Eight clash and followed it up with 89 in the semi-final.
New Zealand, which entered the semifinal as runners-up in Group 2 behind South Africa, will be looking to continue the momentum from their nine-wicket demolition of the tournament favourites South Africa in the semi-final.
Head-to-head, India have a slight edge in T20s, winning 18 of the 30 matches against New Zealand, while the Kiwis have claimed 11 victories, and one match ended in a tie. However, in T20 World Cups, New Zealand hold the advantage, having won all three previous encounters with India.
India Squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
New Zealand Squad:
Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears (reserve).
