India will host New Zealand in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side defeated England by seven runs in the semi-final, cementing their spot in the title clash. The Kiwis, on the other hand, battered South Africa in the first semi-final, registering a commanding nine-wicket win. Finn Allen and Tim Seifert stole the show and will be a threat to India in the final.
Meanwhile, India are set to play their second consecutive final in the T20 World Cup, having won it in 2024, beating South Africa in the summit clash. They will hope to repeat the same on Sunday and if the team gets off the line, the Men in Blue will become the first team to win the competition in successive editions and will also be the first team to win the tournament at home.
On the other hand, six Indian cricketers will be making their T20 World Cup final debut. The list includes keeper-batter Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy. Of these, Rinku was part of the reserve squad in the 2024 edition.
Out of these six cricketers, only four are likely to feature in the playing XI. Sanju Samson, in stellar form with scores of 97* against West Indies in the Super Eights and 89 against England in the semi-final, is set to open. Abhishek Sharma will retain his spot despite recent struggles, while Varun Chakravarthy is expected to continue in the XI to maintain momentum. Tilak Varma, performing well at number six, is also likely to play, leaving Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar out of the playing XI.
First ICC final
Varun and Washington were part of the India squad that defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final. Ishan was part of Indiaโs ODI World Cup 2023 squad, which means Abhishek, Tilak and Rinku are set for their maiden ICC final on March 8.ย
To cut short the list even further, only Tilak out of these six cricketers has never played an IPL final.
Also Read: