AHMEDABAD (Kashmir English): India face New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad today (Sunday) with New Zealand captain saying that ‘Goal is to silence the crowd’.
New Zealand will “not mind breaking a few hearts” in the T20 World Cup final against defending champions and hosts India, captain Mitchell Santner said on Saturday.
Santner’s team will face India in Ahmedabad with over 100,000 home fans expected to fill the Narendra Modi Stadium. New Zealand has never won a white-ball World Cup. “I wouldn’t mind winning a trophy,” Santner said.
He added: “It’s going to be obviously a challenge where everyone knows we’re probably not the favourites.
“But yeah, I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once.”
India, if win, will be the first side to lift the title for a third time. Standing in the way of Suryakumar Yadav’s side are a team who already staged an upset with a thumping 9-wicket win over the previously unbeaten South Africa to reach the final.
NZ could win their maiden T20 World Cup title?
New Zealand believe that they are capable of taking down the hosts to win their maiden T20 World Cup title. “We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the weekend,” warned New Zealand’s Finn Allen. “I think if we play our best cricket we can beat anybody.”
Allen recently made history by smashing the fastest century in T20 World Cup history, reaching the milestone in just 33 balls against South Africa in the semi-final. His explosive 100* included 10 fours and 8 sixes, powering the Black Caps into the final with a nine-wicket victory
India will not only have to withstand the expectations of 100,000-plus cricket-obsessed fans in a packed Narendra Modi stadium and hundreds of millions more watching on TV, but also the weight of history.
India, the world’s top-ranked T20 team, will be attempting to become the first to win back-to-back T20 World Cups and the first to lift the trophy on home soil.
India won the last three knockout games to reach the final, after losing their opening Super Eights match to South Africa.
They smashed Zimbabwe by 72 runs and chased down 196 to beat the West Indies in must-win games to reach semi-final against England.
