PTC News Desk: Co-hosts and defending champions India national cricket team will take on New Zealand national cricket team in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The venue holds mixed memories for India, as it was here that the team had earlier faced a heartbreaking defeat in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final.

India reached the final after suffering only one setback in the tournament — a defeat to the South Africa national cricket team in the Super 8 stage. That loss forced the team to fight hard to stay in contention, including a crucial match against the West Indies cricket team. However, since that defeat, Suryakumar Yadav’s side has shown dominant form heading into the title clash.

Their semi-final against the England national cricket team was a thrilling contest. India posted a massive 253 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and eventually secured victory by just seven runs.

Meanwhile, New Zealand arrive in the final with strong momentum after a commanding performance in the semi-final. They defeated South Africa — the only unbeaten team in the tournament at that point — by nine wickets. The victory was powered by a record-breaking unbeaten century from Finn Allen, who reached the milestone in just 33 balls, delivering a stunning performance that crushed the Proteas’ hopes.

Squad: 

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav

New Zealand: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy