ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | India keeps its date with history, Kiwis fail to shed 'eternal bridesmaid' tag

While euphoria of Suryakumar and Co's triumph may not match that of Dhoni and Rohit's, there is no denying the fact that India were deserving winners.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 triumph reiterated India's credentials as one of the best T20 teams of all times while New Zealand yet again failed to shed the 'eternal bridesmaid' tag.

In a lopsided final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (March 8), India clipped the Kiwi wings as they raked up a mammoth 255 for five after being put into bat.

In reply, New Zealand were never really in the hunt, especially once they lost star batter Fin Allen early as they were skittled out for 159 with the home side emerging triumphant by 96 runs.

For the record, India became the first team to defend the ICC T20 World Cup crown and now they have become the most successful team in the tournament history with three title triumphs.

While the euphoria of Suryakumar Yadav and Co's triumph may not match what M S Dhoni and Co did in 2007 and Rohit Sharma and Co did in 2024, there is no denying the fact that they were the deserving winners.

After a slow start to the tournament co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, Suryakumar's team upped the ante when it mattered most.

The real wake-up call for the Men in Blue came in the first Super Eights tie against South Africa who handed them a crushing 76-run defeat at Ahmedabad.

Pushed to a do-or-die situation, India then beat Zimbabwe and West Indies in the remaining fixtures to make it to the semis where they prevailed over England in a run-feast.

The final was as good as over once India scored 92 runs in the Powerplay as Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson sent the Kiwis on a leather hunt.

Pilloried by all and sundry, Sanju redeemed himself and made his bat do the talking with three pivotal knocks which would at least for time being keep all his critics' mouth shut.

A last-minute inclusion in the team, Sanju had drawn a lot of flak for his initial failures. But the batter/keeper reposed the faith that the selectors had in him and the Player of the Tournament honour was the icing on the cake for him.

India's T20 triumph had many heroes and it was the collective effort that stood out unlike individual brilliance of the past. Abhishek after a string of failures delivered when it mattered the most. So too with Sanju. The collective batting effort was evident from the fact that they posted total in excess of 250 three times in the tournament. The bowling unit was a cohesive one with Jasprit Bumrah spearheading it.

Axar Patel was the most unsung hero of the lot by doing his job as usual — be it with ball or as fielder where he was outstanding.

India entered the tournament as one of the favourites and justified it. The scars of the home Test series drubbing to South Africa may be forgotten for now, but 2027 50-over World Cup to be held in the Rainbow Nation looms large.

For the Kiwis, it has been yet another case of so near, yet so far. For the records, this is their sixth loss in an ICC final — 2009 Champions Trophy, 2015 ODI World Cup, 2019 ODI World Cup, 2021 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy and now the 2026 T20 World Cup.

There was a time when India suffered a similar fate. Peaking right throughout the tournament only to fumble at the final hurdle. But with two triumphs in as many years, India have come out of the shackles, which New Zealand should also be looking for. Or else, the 'eternal bridesmaid' tag will always sit on them.