08 March,2026 06:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mitchell Santner (Pic: X/@BLACKCAPS)
In the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The "Black Caps" will enter the clash with one change, where Cole McConchie will make way for Jacob Duffy.
After winning the toss, New Zealand captain Santner said, "We will bowl first because we expected some movement early and want to limit their strong top order to a chaseable total, and the boys are buzzing for a night like this because these moments are why we play the game. Reaching the semifinals has given the group real confidence and playing in front of such a massive crowd is something we are excited for as it is a great challenge. Every team aims to peak at the right moment and we feel we are doing that on the biggest stage now. We have one change with Cole McConchie missing out and Jacob Duffy coming in. The surface looks good and we are looking forward to getting stuck in".
On the other hand, Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said, "We are happy to bat first because it has worked for us and this wicket is similar to the red soil track from the last match so we are comfortable starting with the bat. In big games like semifinals or finals it always feels better to have runs on the board especially when our bowlers are performing so well. Being defending champions is a nice feeling but that is history now and this is a new World Cup even if it is the same venue from two thousand and twenty three. The crowd looks almost full even before the match has begun which is incredible and gives us great energy. We are sticking with the same team tonight".
India: Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (WK), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Darly Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
