T20 World Cup Final: New Zealand elect to bowl first against India in Ahmedabad
March 8, 2026 06:36 pm
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bowl first against defending champions India in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmadabad.
It is a second consecutive T20 World Cup final for India after it beat South Africa in 2024 at Barbados to claim a second title. India won the inaugural tournament in 2007 and could become the first team to lift this trophy for a third time.
India is the only team to reach four finals. West Indies (2012 and 2016) and England (2010, 2022) are the other teams to have won the T20 World Cup twice.
New Zealand is aiming for its first T20 World Cup triumph. It finished as runner-up in the 2021 final, losing to Australia in Dubai.
India topped Group A in the first round and then finished second in Group 1 in the Super 8s. Its only loss came against South Africa in the Super 8s at the same venue.
The co-hosts beat England in the second semifinal in Mumbai.
New Zealand finished second in Group D in the first round and finished second in Group 2 in the Super 8s. It beat South Africa in the first semifinal at Kolkata.
The Black Caps have made one change with medium pacer Jacob Duffy coming in for Cole McConchie.
India is unchanged from the Mumbai semifinal.
The Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest cricket ground in the world, with a crowd in excess of 100,000 expected at today’s final. The pitch should aid batters through both innings, with evening dew possibly aiding the chasing side.
Line-ups:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy
