India Beat England to Reach T20 World Cup Final, Then Beat New Zealand to Win It

THE ROAD TO THE SEMI-FINAL

India needed their largest successful run chase in T20 World Cup history just to reach the knockout stage, beating West Indies in their final Super Eight match to grab the second and last semi-final spot out of a group that also included South Africa and Zimbabwe. It was fitting preparation. India arrived at the semi-final having had to win under pressure, not coast into it.

THE SEMI-FINAL

India booked their place in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final with a seven-run win over England in the second semi-final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Batting first, India posted 253 for seven in their 20 overs, with Sanju Samson blazing 89 off 42 balls and Shivam Dubey adding 43. England came close, with Jacob Bethell smashing 105 off 48 balls, but fell seven runs short at 246 for seven. Samson was named player of the match. In the other bracket, South Africa reached the final by beating New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before New Zealand themselves would go on to eliminate them and face India instead in the final, a reminder of how quickly a tournament's shape can flip in the space of a week.

THE FINAL

India carried their semi-final form into the final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8. New Zealand won the toss and chose to field, but India posted 255 for five, the highest total ever scored in a T20 World Cup final, beating India's own record of 176 set in the 2024 final. New Zealand were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah tearing through the chase with figures of 4 for 15 from his four overs to seal a 96-run win. Bumrah was named player of the final, and Samson was named player of the tournament.

RECORD BOOKS REWRITTEN

The win made India the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup, the first to win the tournament on home soil, and the third time overall they have been crowned champions, following their first title in 2007 under MS Dhoni and their second in 2024 under Rohit Sharma, which ended a 17-year wait by beating South Africa in the final. This time the team was led by Suryakumar Yadav, who took over the T20 captaincy after Rohit Sharma stepped back from the format following the 2024 triumph, meaning India won this title under a different captain than either of the two that came before it. It is also a sharp turnaround from Rohit's first campaign in charge, a brutal 10-wicket semi-final defeat to England at the 2022 tournament. Four years and two captains later, India has gone from that low point to back-to-back titles and an unbeaten defence of the trophy.