Harbhajan Singh destroys ‘Ahmedabad Curse’ myth after India’s T20 World Cup 2026 glory

After the India National Cricket Team’s historic T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, Harbhajan Singh has blasted the strange belief that the giant Narendra Modi Stadium brings bad luck to the side. On March 8, Suryakumar Yadav's side thrashed New Zealand by 96 runs to lift the silverware in style in Ahmedabad.

However, before the T20 World Cup 2026 final, there was fear among the India fans about a strange “Ahmedabad curse” linked with the Narendra Modi Stadium. This talk became louder after the Men in Blue side were heartbroken by the 2023 ODI World Cup loss to Australia, ending their winning streak of 10 games.

The ‘Ahmedabad Curse’ talk before India's T20 World Cup 2026 glory

That night turned painful for the entire country, with many on social media beginning to call the Narendra Modi Stadium “panoti,” and those talks ruled social media when the Men in Blue were slated to face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final in Ahmedabad.

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But this time, the Men in Blue dominated the title clash from the start to the end, and Harbhajan Singh believes fans are blaming the wrong thing. The former World Cup winner has stressed that the matches are won by good cricket, not by the stadium where the game happens, saying the result depends on performance on that day.

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Harbhajan Singh dismisses unlucky stadium theory

Harbhajan Singh was quoted as saying by India Today: “When two good teams play against each other, one will obviously lose. When India played against Australia (in 2023), Australia was the better team on that particular day. In this game, we saw that if you put your right foot forward from ball one, you will get the results."

"Whatever people used to think, that this ground is a ‘panauti’ (unlucky) or whatever I have heard on social media, that is done and dusted now. It is the mindset of the people who have never played cricket.”

The former off-spinner said fans should stop creating myths about grounds. Harbhajan mentioned that India didn’t have even the best record at the famous Eden Gardens, but later the team started winning at this venue as well. The cricket pandit has further stressed that the venue has nothing to do with the cricketers or the result of the game.

Ravichandran Ashwin slams ‘Unlucky Stadium’ theory

Meanwhile, the former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also urged the fans not to turn any cricket ground into a “taboo” place. He stressed that the teams can lose one match at a venue and win the next. That is the normal nature of the sport.

Ashwin gave the perfect example of how the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the same Ahmedabad stadium was won by the Indian side, where they lost the ODI World Cup 2023 to Australia.

Ravichandran Ashwin said on "Ash ki Baat": “You can lose a game at a venue and win the next one. What is there in this? We have won a lot of games in that stadium. Don’t make a stadium like this taboo. I don’t think it should come into play. I am sure, after a point in time, that monkey on the back will be there. But now, I don’t think the team will be thinking on those lines.”

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