ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Final: IND vs NZ, head-to-head, pitch report and predicted playing XIs

India will face New Zealand in the Final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8. After a series of interesting matches in the tournament, the event now boils down to this important match where these two teams will compete against each other. Interestingly, this will be the fourth time India and New Zealand meet in an ICC tournament final.

India have had a wonderful journey in the tournament so far. The team started their campaign in the tournament by winning the match against the USA and have continued their winning streak in the tournament. The champions have secured their place in the final after defeating England in the semifinal match at the Wankhede Stadium. The captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has shown great leadership skills and is now looking forward to winning the T20 World Cup title. 

New Zealand have shown a great performance in the first semi-final match against South Africa. Their bowlers restricted the Proteas to 169 runs, with Matt Henry, Cole McConchie, and Rachin Ravindra taking two wickets each. During the chase, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert gave the team a flying start with a 117-run opening partnership. Allen smashed a remarkable century in just 33 balls, the fastest in T20 World Cup history, as New Zealand sealed a nine-wicket victory in only 12.5 overs. The Kiwis will now aim to win their first-ever T20 World Cup title.

IND vs NZ: Head-to-Head in T20Is

• Matches Played: 30
  
• India Won: 16
  
• New Zealand Won: 11
  
• Tied/No Result: 3

IND vs NZ: Pitch Report

The final between India and New Zealand will be played on the centre wicket at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This is the same pitch that hosted the 2025 IPL final. It is not the pitch used in the 2023 World Cup match where India lost to Australia. The surface has red and black soil and usually helps batters score runs easily. Out of eight matches played here, teams chasing a target have won five times.

See Also: T20 World Cup 2026: Performers and Events planned for IND vs NZ Final closing ceremony in Ahmedabad

IND vs NZ: Predicted Playing XIs

India (IND):

Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand (NZ):

Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson