IND vs NZ: India national cricket team Seeks Blessings of Lord Hanuman Ahead of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final Clash

Ahead of the big final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, Indian team players and head coach Gautam Gambhir were spotted performing pooja at Hanuman Temple. The Indian team led by Suryakumar Yadav will lock horns with New Zealand in the summit clash on Sunday evening at the Narendra Modi Stadium. 

This is the fourth occasion when India will be playing the T20 World Cup final and will step on the field to defend the title. New Zealand are in search of their first T20 World Cup trophy. 

Interestingly, India have never won against New Zealand in a T20 World Cup fixture while the Kiwis also lead as far as the ICC tournament finals are concerned. The first time when the two sides met each other in a final was back in 2000 in the Knockout trophy that India lost. 

The two teams then faced each other in 2021 WTC final where Kane Williamson’s unit emerged victorious while India finally got off the mark in 2025 after they defeated the Blackcaps in Champions Trophy Final. 

“It’s going to be obviously a challenge. Everyone knows we’re probably not the favorites, but we don’t mind. We know we can, if we do our little things well and put in a strong team performance, put us in a pretty good position to hopefully lift the trophy. But yeah, I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” Mitchell Santner said. 

Squads:

New Zealand Squad: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy

India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav

Also Read: How to Book IND vs NZ T20 World Cup 2026 Final Tickets: Step-by-Step Guide