“I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts,” said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner on the eve of the T20 World Cup final against India in their opponents’ homeland.
In the end, though, the only hearts that were broken were New Zealand’s. Again.
Four World Cup finals for the Black Caps now and four defeats. Two in the 50-over arena, two in T20. They are cricket’s nearly men.
A 96-run trouncing in Ahmedabad to an all-conquering India may not be quite as galling as the “barest of margins” loss to England in a bonkers 2019 one-day international showpiece at Lord’s.
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India lift the T20 World Cup trophy once again after successfully defending the title they won in the Caribbean in 2024
On that occasion, there was a cigarette paper between the teams. If Santner had run a bye off the final delivery of the Kiwis’ innings it could have been them lifting the trophy.
On Sunday, however, there was a chasm between the sides. India looted 255 as New Zealand were punished for wayward bowling and bizarre plans. The Black Caps were bundled out for 159 in reply.
They were pretty much out of the game after India sprinted to 98-0 in seven overs. At 203-1, after 15, they looked toast.
World Cup glory eludes New Zealand again
Like all good underdogs, New Zealand are capable of winning games they are not expected to. Few backed them to overcome an unbeaten South Africa in the semi-finals but they pulverised them, off the back of Finn Allen’s T20 World Cup-record 33-ball ton.
But they have not been able to win games when global silverware is on the line since they beat India in the Champions Trophy final way back in 2000, at least not in white-ball cricket.
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Abhishek Sharma took the trophy-sealing wicket for India as New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy ballooned into the deep
They did upset India to claim the inaugural World Test Championship mace in Southampton in 2021 – the same side they swept 3-0 in late 2024 to inflict a first Test series defeat on their rivals since England achieved the feat 12 years earlier.
The Black Caps need to channel that, and their latest white-ball hurt, into the World Cups ahead, the 2027 50-over version in Africa and 2028 T20 edition which will be held across New Zealand and Australia. There is every reason to believe they can contend in those.
A few players are in their mid-thirties now, including Santner, key seamers Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, and batter Daryl Mitchell but Allen and Rachin Ravindra, both 26, and fellow batter Glenn Phillips, 29 – who is also a gun fielder – are here for the long haul.
The problem they face, the problem everyone faces, is India, whose third straight victory in an ICC event – 2024 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy and now 2026 T20 World Cup – secured their spot as the preeminent white-ball side of the times.
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Sky Sports pundits Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton review India’s T20 World Cup triumph and what went wrong for New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium
India have only lost one match across those three title wins, against South Africa earlier in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Frightening depth and ‘genius’ Bumrah make India formidable
Change of personnel has not altered the results. Gone are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in T20s – they remain embedded in the ODI format – and in have come Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma.
The former ended this T20 World Cup with 97 not out and two brutal knocks of 89. The latter rebounded from three ducks in a row to start the event with an 18-ball fifty in the final. Tilak Varma, who collared England’s Jofra Archer in the semi-finals, is also a top talent.
India’s batting depth is frightening.
It often boggles the mind that Yashasvi Jaiswal is not a fulcrum of the white-ball sides. He may become that in time.
Then there is 14-year-old IPL record-breaker Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Sooner or later, you sense he will step up. Others will emerge, too, as the IPL continues to go from strength to strength.
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India’s ‘genius’ Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets in the T20 World Cup final – all with slower balls
Underpinning everything, though, is the bowling genius of Jasprit Bumrah, who unsurprisingly came to the fore in the final, dismissing four New Zealanders with slower balls to close out an emphatic victory after the batters had gone berserk earlier on.
Bumrah had removed Harry Brook in Thursday’s semi-final with a pace-off ball and then conceded just six runs in one over and eight in another at the death, nailing his yorkers to pretty much extinguish England’s hopes of making the final.
He is a cricketing magician.
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said: “India’s formula is pretty simple.
“A batting line‑up full of powerful hitters that will get you an above‑par score and a bowler in Bumrah, who makes a below‑par score probably enough. He’s an absolute genius, and when you combine those two elements, they’re virtually unbeatable.”
New Zealand once again won hearts but not the trophy. India once again broke hearts and won the trophy.
We could be seeing a lot more of the latter over the next few years. Quite the dynasty is building.
