Ahmedabad, March 8: New Zealand faced a crushing defeat against India by 96 runs in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026, missing their chance to win the title for the first time. Despite the loss, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner expressed pride in his team’s performance.
In the final match held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, India batted first, scoring 255 runs for the loss of five wickets. In response, the Kiwi team was bowled out for just 159 runs in 19 overs.
After the match, Santner stated, “I am proud of my players for reaching this stage. We faced many challenges throughout the tournament, but we overcame them and performed well. However, tonight we lost to a very good team in front of a fantastic crowd. Still, I am proud of the team.”
Commenting on the support the New Zealand team received in India, Santner said, “We generally see a fantastic crowd wherever we play. Today, the stadium was a sea of blue. Clearly, we were not the home favorites, but India deserves credit for winning the title on their home ground. Winning here always comes with a lot of pressure. I believe Surya Kumar Yadav and his team should be very proud of their performance.”
When asked about what went well for his team during the tournament, Santner noted, “I think different players stepped up at different times. We faced challenges at every stage, but it was good to overcome them. We performed well in the Super-8 and semi-finals. However, today we were beaten by a better team, but the players should still be proud of their performance.”