Reports: India likely to retain same combination for T20 World Cup 2026 Final vs New Zealand

The final game of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, between the defending champions India and New Zealand on March 8. The players have been in great form and will be looking forward to having an impactful final today.

Coming to the playing XI, reports claim that India are likely to remain unchanged for the final game. Teams usually don't like changing the winning combination, and since this playing XI has helped the team qualify for the finals, they are unlikely to change it. The players are in stellar form, especially the batters. 

While concerns are looming over Abhishek Sharma's batting form, the team has backed him throughout the tournament. This might be the time for him to shine and showcase to everyone how capable he is. Even the bowling seems to be in a bit of trouble, considering the amount of runs leaked by the bowlers. But Jasprit Bumrah has been quite handy throughout the tournament. 

India's playing XI vs New Zealand: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Also See: Ravichandran Ashwin breaks silence on ‘taboo’ tag on Ahmedabad ahead of IND vs NZ T20 World Cup 2026 Final

Will New Zealand make changes to playing XI?

Much like the Indian side, the New Zealand team is also unlikely to make any changes to their winning combination. They added James Neesham ahead of the semi-finals, and the results turned out in their favour. The players are scoring runs and taking wickets, which is also a pretty good sign for the Kiwis. 

The opening batters, Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, will be given full freedom to attack from the very first over. Since the pitch will be in favor of the batters, the bowlers will have to be smart to dismiss the Indian batters. But a slow delivery and a spinner might do the job as well. 

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