India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup for the second consecutive time, defeating New Zealand by a massive 96-run margin in the final. Suryakumar Yadav’s team also set a new record, becoming the first side in World Cup history to clinch the title three times.

England and West Indies have each won the title twice. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia have each been champions once.

Chasing a mammoth total in the final, New Zealand got off to a poor start. Three batters returned to the pavilion by the end of the powerplay’s six overs, with another dismissed shortly after. Finn Allen scored 9, Rachin Ravindra 1, Glenn Phillips 5, and Mark Chapman 3 before their dismissals.

Despite regular wicket falls, opener Tim Seifert played his natural game, scoring 52 runs off just 26 balls before being dismissed. His impressive innings included two fours and five sixes. Daryl Mitchell contributed 17 runs before his departure.

Following this, no one apart from captain Mitchell Santner could make a significant impact. Santner played an innings of 43 runs off 35 balls. James Neesham scored 8, Matt Henry 0, Lockie Ferguson 6, and Jacob Duffy 3 runs.

Earlier, in Ahmedabad, Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and invited India to bat first. India’s two openers played cautiously for the first two overs before launching an assault on the Kiwi bowlers. With a flurry of fours and sixes, India amassed 92 runs without losing a wicket in the first six overs.

Abhishek Sharma reached his fifty in just 18 balls. However, he couldn’t last much longer, departing after scoring 51 runs off 21 balls.

Ishan Kishan came in to bat at number three. Samson continued his onslaught with Kishan at the crease. After completing his fifty, he was on course for a century, but just like in the previous two matches, he missed out on a hundred this time too, getting dismissed for 89 runs. His 46-ball innings included five fours and eight sixes.

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan also reached his fifty, scoring 54 runs off just 25 balls with four fours and four sixes before being dismissed. However, captain Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t make an impact, returning to the pavilion for a golden duck on the very first ball. Hardik Pandya scored 18 runs off 13 balls before departing.

Towards the end, Shivam Dube provided some explosive batting, remaining unbeaten with 26 runs off just 8 balls. Tilak Varma also stayed not out, scoring 8 runs off 6 balls.

James Neesham was New Zealand’s most successful bowler, taking a maximum of three wickets. Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra each claimed one wicket.