Ahmedabad, March 9: New Zealand faced a crushing defeat against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, losing by 96 runs. This loss meant the Kiwi team missed their chance to win the T20 World Cup title for the first time. Despite the setback, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner expressed pride in his team’s performance.
In the final match held at Narendra Modi Stadium, India batted first, scoring 255 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. In response, the New Zealand team managed only 159 runs in 19 overs.
After the loss, 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 for New Zealand in India, Santner said, “Wherever we play, we usually see a fantastic crowd. Today, the stadium was a sea of blue. Clearly, we were not the home favorites, but credit should go to India for winning the title on their home ground. Winning here always comes with a lot of pressure. I believe Suryakumar Yadav and his team should be very proud of their performance.”
When asked about the positives for his team during the tournament, Santner remarked, “I think different players stepped up at various moments. We faced challenges at every stage, but it was good to overcome them. We performed well in the Super-8 and the semifinals. However, today we were beaten by a better team, but the players should still be proud of their performance.”
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