History makers! India defeat New Zealand to become most successful nation in ICC T20 World Cups

Indian stars come to life in the T20 World Cup final against Black Caps

Despite criticism about not being at their best in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, India have done what true champions do - find a way to win games - and they are now the most successful nation in the history of the T20 World Cup. 

The star of the show was Sanju Samson, who once again stepped up on the grandest stage of all. The wicket-keeper batsman smashed 89 runs off just 46 deliveries at the top of the order, including five 4s and eight 6s, giving his side an excellent start to their innings. 

Abhishek Sharma, who has been extremely underwhelming across the entire tournament, found a big performance of 52 runs in just 21 balls when it mattered most. Together with Samson, the pair gave the Men in Blue a dream start, navigating their side to 98/1 in 7.1 overs. 

Following Sharma’s dismissal, Ishan Kishan picked up the baton and blasted the Black Caps’ bowlers to all parts. Again, with Samson at the opposite end, the Indian top-order duo put their team in a position of strength at 203/2 in the 16th over before Samson eventually departed, caught and bowled by James Neesham. 

After the early dismissals of Hardik Pandya and skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube delivered another stunning cameo at the death, striking at a sensational rate of 325.00 for his 26 runs in just eight balls to get India to a massive total of 255/5 in their 20 overs. 

It was a tough day at the office for the Kiwi bowlers, as Matt Henry went for 12.25 an over for his 1/49, while the team’s top-wicket taker in the tournament, Rachin Ravindra, finished with 1/32 in two overs. Neesham was the standout performer, taking 3/46 in his four-over allotment. 

After two costly first overs in their defence, Yadav opted to bring Axar Patel into the attack, and the spinner needed just four deliveries to make his impact, knocking over the in-form Finn Allen in the third over for nine runs before sending Daryl Mitchell back to the pavilion in his very next over. 

The shining star with the ball for the home side was Jasprit Bumrah, who was virtually unplayable at times and claimed the scalps of Rachin Ravindra, captain Mitchell Santner, James Neesham and Matt Henry to rack up yet another T20 World Cup four-fer, finishing with stunning figures of 4/15. 

India dominated New Zealand in the middle overs and continued to take wickets at regular intervals, which halted their opponents’ momentum and prevented them from building many meaningful partnerships. The Black Caps were bowled out in the 19th over, 96 runs shy of the target. 

Check out our cricket predictions

2026 T20 World Cup: Full list of award winners 

By winning the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, India is now the first team to win back-to-back titles and the first to lift the coveted trophy three times. The victory also earned them a staggering $3 million (around ₹27.48 crore), while New Zealand received $1.6 million. 

Jasprit Bumrah’s incredible 4/15 earned him Player of the Match in the 2026 T20 World Cup final, while Sanju Samson was voted as the Player of the Tournament. Samson is now the third Indian cricketer to win the award after Virat Kohli (2014 & 2016) and Bumrah (2024). 

T20 World Cup awards: 

More cricket news