India defended their T20 World Cup title with a dominant 96-run victory over New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8, 2026, posting 255 for 5—the highest total in a final—before restricting the Black Caps to 159. The win marked India's third title (after 2007 and 2024), the first consecutive success, the first by a host nation (as co-hosts), and secured on home soil. Sanju Samson was player of the tournament, with Jasprit Bumrah earning player of the match honors.
Batting first after losing the toss, India openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma raced to 98 without loss in the powerplay—the joint-highest in World Cup history. Samson, the tournament's standout with 321 runs at a strike rate of 199.37 (including player of the match awards against West Indies and England), smashed 89 off 46 balls with eight sixes. Abhishek scored 52 off 21, Ishan Kishan added 54 off 25 to push past 200 by the 15th over, and Shivam Dube's unbeaten 26 off eight (three fours, two sixes) lifted the total to 255 for 5 despite Jimmy Neesham's three wickets.
New Zealand's chase collapsed to 72 for 5 after eight overs on a flat pitch. Tim Seifert fought back with 52 off 26 (five sixes), and Mitchell Santner top-scored with 43 off 35, but they were bowled out in 19 overs. Jasprit Bumrah (player of the match) took 4 for 15 with slower balls, finishing as joint-leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps at an average of 12.42. Axar Patel claimed 3 for 27 (including Finn Allen for 9), and Abhishek Sharma took the final wicket of Jacob Duffy.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav lifted the trophy from ICC chair Jay Shah (former BCCI secretary). Yadav hailed the execution: "It has been a long journey... We wanted to follow the good habits from the 2024 World Cup." Coach Gautam Gambhir dedicated the win to predecessors Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Bumrah said: "This tournament I just tried to let the game come to me." Samson added: "It feels like a dream... I was courageous enough to dream about it."
The ICC announced a record US$11.25 million prize pool: India received US$2,639,423, New Zealand US$1,422,692, South Africa US$1,005,577, England US$974,423, with others based on progression (base US$225,000 plus win bonuses; e.g., Zimbabwe's US$491,538 after upsets like beating Australia). The ICC Team of the Tournament included four Indians—Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Bumrah—plus Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan (383 runs), England's Will Jacks and Adil Rashid, and players from South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe.
India's white-ball dominance continued with three straight ICC trophies since 2024 (only one loss total). New Zealand finished runners-up for the fourth time in a World Cup final. The BCCI awarded the squad Rs 131 crore; president Mithun Manhas called it a moment of immense pride, while secretary Devajit Saikia highlighted India's golden phase.
