After a month of intense battles, India and New Zealand are the last teams standing in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup. Both teams will face off in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday after India’s semi-final win over England and a thumping win for New Zealand over South Africa.
The Kiwis had entered the World Cup on the back of a hammering in India – a 1-4 series defeat in January – before fitting into their shoes as the perennial darkhorse. In addition to the game being yet another World Cup final between the sides, New Zealand have never lost to India in a T20 World Cup match, making this matchup compelling from a historical perspective.
2007 T20 World Cup: Kiwis defeat India by 10 runs in Johannesburg
Their first encounter occurred during the inaugural T20 World Cup in Johannesburg. Batting first, New Zealand posted a total of 190 runs, with important contributions made by Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram. In chasing 191, India appeared to be in a solid position before Daniel Vettori’s magic changed the momentum. The left-arm wrist spinner took 4 wickets for 20 runs and helped remove key Indian batters like Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir. Later, he returned to the field to dismiss Irfan Pathan and Dinesh Karthik to help New Zealand ultimately win by 10 runs. That would be India’s only loss during their triumphant run in the inaugural tournament.
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2016 T20 World Cup: Spinners lead the way for New Zealand in Nagpur.
The two sides again faced off in Nagpur during the 2016 T20 World Cup. Once again, the spinners dictated the match. New Zealand scored only 126 runs, thanks to Corey Anderson’s 34. India, however, struggled to score against the Kiwi spinners from the outset in the chase and were rolled for a paltry 79 in their tournament opener. Mitchell Santner was the star for the Black Caps, snapping four wickets for only 11 runs, along with assured assistance from tweakers Ish Sodhi and Nathan McCullum, which gave New Zealand a 47-run victory.
T20 World Cup 2021: Kiwi bowlers trounce India in Dubai
The two sides last faced each other at the T20 World Cup 2021 held in Dubai, where India was limited to scoring only 110 runs for seven wickets. Left-arm paceman Trent Boult struck early followed by a spell of pressure bowling from Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee and Adam Milne.
New Zealand chased down the target with ease, with Daryl Mitchell scoring 49 runs and skipper Kane Williamson finishing off the game.
Their fourth meeting comes close on the heels of a year since the teams met in a different setting of the ODI Champions Trophy final in Dubai last year. The Men in Blue emerged victorious then and Suryakumar Yadav’s side will be keen to reverse the head-to-head in the shortest format on Sunday.
