Cricket Kitchen

India Become World Champion for the Third Time

March 9, 2026

Kathmandu – India became the record three-time champions of the Twenty20 World Cup after defeating New Zealand.

In the final held in Ahmedabad on Sunday, defending champions India secured a 96-run victory over New Zealand, winning the title for the second consecutive time.

Chasing India’s massive target of 256 runs, New Zealand were bowled out for 159 runs in 19 overs. For New Zealand, opener Tim Seifert scored the highest with 52 runs, hitting 2 fours and 5 sixes off 26 balls. Captain Mitchell Santner added 43 runs from 35 balls.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah took 4 wickets, while Axar Patel claimed 3 wickets.

Earlier, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl. Batting first, India scored a huge 255 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs.

India’s first three batters all scored half-centuries. Sanju Samson was the top scorer with 89 runs off 46 balls, including 5 fours and 8 sixes. He and fellow opener Abhishek Sharma shared 98 runs in 43 balls for the first wicket. Sharma scored 52 runs off 21 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes.

For the third wicket, Samson and Ishan Kishan built a 105-run partnership in 48 balls. Kishan made 54 runs, hitting 4 fours and 4 sixes.

For New Zealand, Jimmy Neesham took three important wickets in the 16th over, slowing India’s scoring rate. India also lost captain Suryakumar Yadav for zero runs. Hardik Pandya scored 18 runs from 13 balls, while Shivam Dube remained not out on 26. India scored 52 runs in the final 5 overs while losing 4 wickets.

For New Zealand, Neesham took 3 wickets, while Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry took one wicket each.

This was New Zealand’s second appearance in a T20 World Cup final, but they again finished as runners-up. They were also runners-up in 2021, losing to Australia in the final.

India also became the first country to win the T20 World Cup title consecutively, having previously won the 2024 tournament held in the United States and the West Indies, where they defeated South Africa in the final.