The T20 World Cup 2026 final between India and New Zealand will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. This is the second consecutive time that these two teams are facing each other in a final encounter of an ICC tournament.
In the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, the Men in Blue defeated New Zealand to win the title. However, India have never beaten Mitchell Santner’s side in their three previous T20 World Cup meetings. The Black Caps are playing in their second T20 World Cup final.
India are trying to become the first team to win the trophy three times, successfully defend their title, and achieve the rare feat of winning on home soil. Meanwhile, the Kiwis are desperate to end their run of near misses and finally clinch their maiden T20 World Cup crown.
Mitchell Santner Takes a Cue from Pat Cummins
During the pre-match press conference on Saturday, a reporter asked Mitchell Santner if his team was willing to be the "bad guys" and break a billion hearts, like Pat Cummins and Australia did in the 2023 50-over World Cup final.
Santner admitted that the Black Caps are the underdogs heading into the match. However, he stated that his side wouldn't shy away from being the bad guys and spoiling India's party on home soil.
“I wouldn't mind winning a trophy. You look at this group and the groups that have been in the past, we are pretty consistent on these because we try not to get overawed by the situation or opponents,” Santner told reporters on Saturday.
"We go out there and do our thing. And as a unit, it's been no different this time. And again, it's going to be obviously a challenge where everyone knows we're probably not the favourites. But we don't mind."
“We know we can, if we do our little things well and put in a strong team performance, put us in a pretty good position to hopefully lift the trophy. I wouldn't mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” he added.