India vs New Zealand Final: A Look Back At Their T20 World Cup Battles

Hosts and defending champions, the India national cricket team, will face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

India enters the contest with strong recent performances, but history favours New Zealand, who have never lost to India in the tournament.

The two sides have met three times in T20 World Cup history, and New Zealand have won each encounter.

Their first meeting came during the inaugural 2007 edition in Johannesburg, where New Zealand secured a 10-run victory.

Captain Daniel Vettori delivered an outstanding all-round performance, taking 4/20 and scoring a quick 15 runs from five balls.

India chased 191 and reached 76/1 before Daniel Vettori turned the match by dismissing Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir.

Jeetan Patel took another key wicket, while a run-out removed MS Dhoni.

Earlier, Brendon McCullum scored 45 and late contributions from Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram helped New Zealand post a competitive total.

New Zealand defeated India again in the 2016 tournament in Nagpur, winning by 47 runs in a spin-dominated match. Corey Anderson scored 34 while Luke Ronchi added an unbeaten 21.

India struggled against spin, with only Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni offering resistance. Mitchell Santner took 4/11, Ish Sodhi claimed 3/18, and Nathan McCullum picked up 2/15.

The teams met again in Dubai in 2021, where New Zealand won by eight wickets.

Trent Boult led the bowling attack as India managed 110/7, while Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell provided a strong start before captain Kane Williamson sealed the chase.

New Zealand lead the T20 World Cup head-to-head 3–0 against India, setting the stage for a highly anticipated final.

Also Read: India Beat England By 7 Runs To Reach T20 World Cup 2026 Final Against New Zealand