India delivered a dominant performance to beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, successfully defending their title in front of their home crowd.
Batting first, India posted a strong 255 for 5, building their innings around powerful performances from the top order. Sanju Samson led the charge with 89 runs from 46 balls, while Abhishek Sharma struck a rapid 52 off 21 deliveries. Ishan Kishan also contributed with a quick 54 from 25 balls, helping India pile pressure on the New Zealand bowlers.
India looked set for an even bigger total before Jimmy Neesham slowed the scoring by taking three wickets in the 16th over. However, Shivam Dube added late momentum with 24 runs in the final over, pushing the total beyond New Zealand’s reach.
In response, New Zealand started aggressively, with Tim Seifert scoring 52 from 26 balls. But regular wickets halted their chase. Opener Finn Allen, who had scored a century in the semi-final, fell early for nine runs.
India’s bowling attack then tightened control of the match. Jasprit Bumrah produced an outstanding spell, taking 4 wickets for 15 runs, as New Zealand were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs.
The victory marks a historic achievement for India, becoming the first team to successfully defend the men’s T20 World Cup title. It also extends India’s strong run in white-ball cricket, following their previous global tournament victories.
For New Zealand, the defeat adds to a series of close calls in major finals, after finishing runners-up in several global tournaments over the past decade.
