India are crowned T20 World Cup champions as they thump New Zealand by 96 runs to successfully defend title

India reasserted themselves as the world’s best T20 side after successfully defending their T20 Cricket World Cup crown.

The tournament co-hosts, sharing it with Sri Lanka, thrashed New Zealand by 96 runs in the final in Ahmedabad.

The win was a redemption of some sorts for India who lost at this venue to Australia in the 2023 50-over showpiece.

Setting New Zealand an imposing target of 256 to win, India finished their innings 255-5 with their top three doing most of the damage. In batting-friendly conditions Sanju Samson plundered 89 runs from 46 deliveries, Abhishek Sharma hit a 21-ball 52 and Ishan Kishan scored 54 from 25 deliveries.

For New Zealand, their reply was tame in comparison as they were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs.

Tim Seifert scored 52 from 26 balls for the Black Caps but his team-mates were unable to match his resistance.

Jasprit Bumrah proved a thorn in the New Zealand batting – taking 4-15 in front of a jubilant 100,000-plus partisan crowd.

The win means India – the first side to defend the men’s T20 World Cup – have now won the past three men’s white-ball tournaments – this, the 2024 title and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

But for New Zealand it is pain once more as they have finished runners-up last year to India as well as the 2015, 2019 and 2021 World Cup finals.