MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma share iconic moment In 2026 T20 World Cup final

The gracious moment at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup Final 2026 kicked off in style. Two former Team India skippers- MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma- walked out into the stadium with the trophy. ICC (International Cricket Council) Chairman Jay Shah was also there to make the tournament special.

Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni were also present at the Wankhede Stadium to witness the semifinal match between India and England. In the presence of the two former World Cup-winning captains, the defending champions, Team India, defeated England by 7 runs in a high-scoring match.

The crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium cheered as Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni came with the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy for the Grand Finale.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led team is on the verge of making history in the T20 World Cup. If they can defeat New Zealand in the Final today, the Men in Blue will be the first ever team to defend their T20 World Cup title successfully.

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— Nickk Knight (@KnightNick34590) March 8, 2026

Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first. After winning the toss, the Kiwi captain said that the pitch seems nice to them, with a little bit of grass on it. New Zealand chose to bowl first with the intention of utilizing the green patches of the surface.

Why did New Zealand choose to bowl first in the T20 World Cup 2026 Final?

“We are going to bowl first. Looks like a good surface, a tinge of grass on it. So, I guess we'll see if it does anything at the top. And we know obviously India has a lot of power to try to restrict them to, I guess, a chaseable score. Boys are good (talking about the mood in the camp)”, Mitchell Santner said.

“I mean, this is what we play the game for. In front of obviously this many people, it's going to be awesome. It's going to be a great night, and hopefully we can put in a good show”, he added.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that the would bat first happily as the pitch is made of red soil. And on the red soil, the Indian cricket team batters know how to make a pile of runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 Final.

"We're happy to bat first. We were looking to bat. It's been working for us in the last game, also. We played a similar kind of cricket. Red soil, so we're happy to bat first. I mean, always when you play a semi-final or a World Cup final, always it's good to have runs on board, and you come out and defend", Yadav said.

India fires at powerplay

Team India got a flyer start in the powerplay of the T20 World Cup Final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma was booming in the first 6 overs of the India vs New Zealand match.

In 6 overs, Team India registered 92 runs, without losing a single wicket. While Sanju Samson scored an unbeaten 33 runs in 17 balls, Abhishek Sharma registered an unbeaten 51 in 19 overs inside the powerplay.

As of now, New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson has proved the most expensive, as he leaked 24 runs in only 1 over, which is one of the most expensive overs in the history of the T20 World Cup 2026. In the first couple of overs, it was 12/0. From there, the pair of Sharma and Samson torpedoed to 92 runs, adding 80 runs in the next 4 overs.

Most expensive overs in T20 WC finals
24 runs - Ben Stokes (ENG) vs WI, Kolkata, 2016 (4 balls)
24 runs - Axar Patel (IND) vs SA, Bridgetown, 2024
24 runs- Lockie Ferguson (NZ) vs IND, Ahmedabad, 2026

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