08 March,2026 09:22 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva Upasani
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma with Jay Shah (Pic: ICC)
Before the start of the highly anticipated India vs. New Zealand final, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma appeared with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 trophy, creating an exciting atmosphere at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
MS Dhoni, who led India to the T20 World Cup glory in the inaugural T20 World Cup, was joined by Rohit Sharma, who won the title in the last edition in 2024. The two former captains brought out the T20 World Cup trophy before the national anthems and were joined by ICC chief Jay Shah and the CEO of Star TV Network, Uday Shankar.
During the closing ceremony, Global pop sensation and two-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Martin entertained the crowd with performances of his hits, such as "Livin' la Vida Loca" and "The Cup of Life". Martin was joined by Indian musicians Sukhbir Singh and Falguni Pathak, who added a musical touch to the grand finale between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first in the final.
India put themselves into a perfect position by scoring 255 runs at the end of their innings. Fifties from Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan guided India to a record first innings score in a T20 World Cup final.
Abhishek Sharma finally clicked in the World Cup and scored his maiden half-century of the campaign. The free-scoring southpaw scored 52 of 21 balls to give India a fiery start, and the Men in Blue scored 92 in the powerplay.
Sanju Samson brought up his third consecutive fifty and scored 89 runs from 46 balls. Ishan Kishan chipped in with yet another 50 to put India in a strong position.
Jimmy Neesham brought New Zealand back in the game by taking 3 wickets in the 16th over, but a 24-run final over by Shivam Dube guided India to a record 255 runs at the end of 20 overs.
