IND vs NZ Final Preview: Free Live Streaming, Pitch & Weather Report, Head-to-Head, Playing XIs | T20 World Cup 2026
Published - 07 Mar 2026, 06:00 PM | Updated - 07 Mar 2026, 06:01 PM
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India will be up against New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final on Sunday, March 8, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. This is the first time that defending champions will be in the final of the tournament. India will try to win back-to-back T20 World Cups.
This will create history as Suryakumar Yadav’s side would become the first team in the competition’s history to win the tournament at home and also to defend the trophy. However, the task will not be easy, as the Kiwis will seek revenge for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, which India also won.
India National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team T20 World Cup Final Match Preview:
Date and Venue:
The Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, will host the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash between India and New Zealand on Sunday, March 8. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM IST.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Rinku Singh.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Cole McConchie.
IND VS NZ Probable XIs:
In the all-important clash IND vs NZ, both teams would not make any changes in the side, until there's a serious injury concern or a family emergency. Both sides will field their best XI on Sunday.
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand Playing XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
IND vs NZ Match Key Battles:
New Zealand is a team that does their match-ups very well; they will come hard at each batter and bowl on their required line and lengths. However, Suryakumar Yadav's side would also want to come in this game as they are well aware of the threat the Kiwis possess. There will be some interesting battles to watch out for.
Abhishek Sharma vs Cole McConchie
Abhishek Sharma would be looking to score runs in the final, as his bat has not produced runs in the whole tournament. He has been under huge pressure in the final, and he will be under immense pressure.
Cole McConchie will be seen bowling in the first or second over of the game as he did in the semi-final one against South Africa, picking the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in the span of two balls. Abhishek, who has already been dismissed three times against off-spin, will need to be watchful.
Sanju Samson vs Matt Henry
Sanju Samson has been in sensational form in the tournament, scoring 232 runs in the span of four innings. He has been the lucky charm for India and solved India's opening crisis as well. The wicket-keeper batter has played two sensational innings in two crucial games for India.
Matt Henry, who has been delivering with the new ball, would get some swing at Ahmedabad and would like to get Samson out early in the game. He has been lethal with the ball and has dismissed some big names in the powerplay.
Finn Allen vs Jasprit Bumrah
Finn Allen has been in sensational form. The Kiwi opener single-handedly destroyed the bowling attack of South Africa in semi-final 1, scoring the fastest hundred in the T20Is format in a full member nation game and also in T20 World Cup history. He scored 100* off 33 balls.
Jasprit Bumrah once again showed his class in the second semi-final against England. His death bowling has been brilliant, he would be looking to dismiss Allen early in the game, as he possesses a threat with the new ball with his yorkers and slower ball as effective as the swing. This battle would be a treat to watch for the fans.
IND vs NZ Key Players:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry.
Free Live Streaming in India, Live Telecast
TV Rights in India: The IND vs NZ match will be live on the Star Sports Network, which is the official broadcaster of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India.
Live Streaming Platform in India: Fans can watch the match on mobile and laptops through OTTs via the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. Free live streaming will be available for users watching on mobile devices.
When will the match take place? The final fixture is set to be played on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
Where will the match be played? The IND vs NZ will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
How to watch the live telecast of the IND vs NZ match on television? Fans can watch the game on Star Sports channels.
How to live stream the match between IND and NZ on mobile online? The matches of the 2026 T20 World Cup have been live-streamed on the Jio Hotstar app or website.
IND vs NZ Final, Weather Report, Pitch Report of Narendra Modi Stadium
IND vs NZ Weather Report of Ahmedabad:
According to AccuWeather, there is no chance of rain throughout the day. Clear sky will be there during the evening hours of the day. During the match, the temperature will be around 36-29 degrees Celsius. It will be on the warmer side, with dew might come in.
IND vs NZ Pitch Report of Ahmedabad:
The pitch of the Narendra Modi Stadium is expected to support the batters; however, batters will need to be patient early on, considering scoring freely may not be simple. Chasing will be easy because dew may be present later in the innings.
Bowlers will need to work hard for wickets and bowl tight lines. There will be dew in the latter part of the innings, so the team would want to chase after winning the toss.
IND vs NZ Head-to-Head Records:
In the IND vs NZ game in the T20 World Cup, the Kiwis have the upper hand, winning all three games in the three meetings. However, in the last five games, the Men in Blue side has won four games out of the five.
Stats | Matches | IND Won | NZ Won | NR | Tied |
Overall | 30 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
In T20 World Cups | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Last 5 T20s | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
IND vs NED Head-to-Head Records: Key Statistics
India has faced New Zealand only 30 times and has won 18 games. In the T20 World Cup, they met all in the group stages first in 2007. As the Black Caps emerged victorious by 10 runs. Next, they faced each other in 2016, where yet again the Kiwis won by 47 runs, and then in 2021 when New Zealand won by 8 wickets.
IND vs NED Head-to-Head Records: Last Five Matches
In the last five matches, the India National Cricket Team has the upper hand as they won the last four matches out of the last five meetings they had. Only once, the Kiwi won. However, the final would not be happening one sided affair as the last bilateral series between the two happened.
IND vs NZ Head-to-Head Records- Result of the last five games:
India vs New Zealand – India won by 46 runs, Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 31, 2026
India vs New Zealand – New Zealand won by 50 runs, Visakhapatnam, Jan 28, 2026
India vs New Zealand – India won by 8 wickets, Guwahati, Jan 25, 2026
India vs New Zealand – India won by 7 wickets, Raipur, Jan 23, 2026
India vs New Zealand – India won by 48 runs, Nagpur, Jan 21, 2026
IND vs NZ- Conclusion:
The IND vs NZ final will be a 50-50 contest, as no team in a final comes as favourites. Despite India playing at home, they would be more under pressure to win the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where they lost a World Cup trophy back in 2023. It will be an exciting encounter on Sunday, with fans coming in large numbers to support the Men in Blue side.
Also Read: Shoaib Akhtar reveals how Sanju Samson finally got his big World Cup moment
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India National Cricket Team New Zealand National Cricket Team ICC T20 World Cup India vs New Zealand Suryakumar Yadav Sanju Samson Mitchell Santner Finn Allen Jasprit Bumrah Abhishek Sharma Matt HenryAbout the Author
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