T20 World Cup (Men’s). 2026
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2026
India keeps trophy
March 9, 2026: The Times of India
On the day that the 2026 T20 World Cup schedule was unveiled, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was asked his dream matchup for the tournament. The answer came without a flicker of hesitation. “Australia in the final, at the Narendra Modi Stadium.”
The Men in Blue have won many matches and tournaments since that heartbreaking loss in the ODI World Cup final in Nov 2023, but the wounds had clearly still not fully healed for Surya — as they hadn’t for so many fans.
Surya didn’t get the opponent he craved, but he won’t complain. Nor will the Indian supporters who screamed themselves hoarse — in the stadium and in front of millions of flickering screens, big and small, across the world. On aglorious Sunday night, Team India achieved redemption, and it has rarely tasted sweeter. India didn’t so much win the title as stroll to it. It was a coronation rather than a final.
History, that most stubborn of scorekeepers, was rewritten in bold strokes. No defending champion had ever retained a T20 World Cup. No host nation had survived the suffocating weight of home expectation. No team had lifted the World Cup in this most fickle of formats three times. Check. Check. And emphatically, check.
Abhishek Sharma, quiet through much of the tournament, chose the grandest stage to announce himself. He blazed to 50 off 18 balls, the quickest half-century in this tournament and the fastest ever in a T20 WC knockout match. The impetus propelled India to 92/0 in the powerplay, the highest of this WC and the joint-highest in all WCs. New Zealand had put India in, backing themselves to chase on a batting-friendly track. But their gamble — and the strange decision to leave out off-spinner Cole McConchie against a line-up packed with left-handers — backfired as India proceeded to bat them out of the match.
Sharma fell chasing a wide one, but Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan ensured the scoring rate didn’t slacken. Samson, in the midst of the purplest of patches, became only the third player to score 50s in both the semifinal and final of a T20 WC, following Shahid Afridi in 2009 and Virat Kohli in 2014. He also became only the second player in T20 WCs to score three 80-plus scores in a row, after Mahela Jayawardene in 2010. It’s an elite club, but on his current form, there can be no doubt that Samson truly belongs with these bonafide T20 legends.
The player of the tournament award was fitting reward, and completed the fairytale for a player who wasn’t even in India’s first choice XI when the WC began.
In the 14th over, he launched Rachin Ravindra for three successive sixes. With that assault, India became the first team to hit 100 sixes in a single edition of a World Cup. Samson fell short of a hundred for the third straight match, but for the third straight match he was India’s lodestar, shaping the contest to his will.
Ishan Kishan hammered 54 off 25 balls, making it the first time in a T20 WC knockout that the top 3 had all scored 50s. India surged to 203/1 in 15 overs, and 300 seemed to be within reach. Three quick wickets fell in the 16th over, briefly applying the brakes. But Shivam Dube hit 26 not out from 8 balls to push India to 255/5, the third-highest total in T20 WC history and the highest target ever set in a final. It was 15 more than India had managed in the 2023 ODI final — off 50 overs.
England had come close to ascending a similar mountain just three nights ago. NZ, too, bat deep and carry plenty of firepower in their ranks. But this time, there was a feeling that the stars were firmly aligned in India’s favour.
Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, playing in front of an adoring home crowd, made sure of it. They tore through the top order as NZ staggered to 47/3. Varun Chakravarthy again copped a hammering, but hit back to dismiss Tim Seifert for 52 off 26 balls.
Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner hit some lusty blows to score 43 off 35 balls. But by then, it was just a question of delaying the inevitable — and the celebrations. Santner was finally bowled by Bumrah, who finished the night with a career-best T20I haul of 4/15 and a tournament haul of 14 wickets (joint-highest with Varun). For the record, India won by 96 runs. But the match had ended as a contest long before the last ball was bowled.
Prominent players
March 9, 2026: The Times of India
SURYAKUMAR YADAV vs US (84 n.o off 49 balls): India were reeling at 77/6 in the opening match and there was real concern that the US would pull off a massive upset before the skipper stepped in to steady the ship. Dropped on 17 off 15 balls, Surya smashed 48 off the last 18 balls he faced — including 21 off the last over — to haul India to 161/9, and a comfortable 29-run victory
ISHAN KISHAN vs Pak (77 off 40 balls): In a match in which every batter struggled to raise the tempo, Kishan batted as though he was playing on another pitch. His explosive knock propelled India to 88/1 in 8.3 overs before he was dismissed. India slowed dramatically thereafter, but the momentum given by Kishan meant they still reached 175/7 — more than enough as Pak crumbled to 114 all out
TILAK VARMA (44 n.o off 16 balls vs Zimbabwe): Smarting from a 76-run hammering by South Africa, India rejigged their batting order and came out all guns firing. Every batter scored at a strike rate of over 150, but Varma provided the icing on the cake, taking to his new role of finisher with gusto as India galloped to 256/4, their highest score in T20 World Cups
SANJU SAMSON (97 n.o off 50 balls vs West Indies): In a virtual quarterfinal, Samson played an unforgettable innings, displaying composure and silken strokemaking to guide India to their highest run chase ever in a T20 WC game
AXAR PATEL vs England: Samson played another blinder (89 off 42) in the semis and Bumrah (1/33) produced a T20 bowling masterclass. But the biggest impact arguably came from the vice-captain, who bowled Tom Banton, took two catches — including a superb dismissal of English skipper Harry Brook — and produced a moment of sheer genius, racing to grab the ball, then flipping it to Shivam Dube as he hurtled over the ropes, to get rid of Will Jacks
Key Inflection Points
Hindol.Basu , March 9, 2026: The Times of India
After breaking a decade-long title drought with the 2024 T20 World Cup win, India went all in with a modern, aggressive T20 identity. After veterans like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja stepped away, the think-tank designed a younger, braver side in which roles rather than reputations held sway. The subsequent two-year stretch was marked by inflection points in leadership, selection and tactics. TOI decodes what went into India’s transition from a powerhouse of individuals to a relentless T20-winning machine...
MOVING ON FROM HARDIK PANDYA AS CAPTAINCY OPTION
Hardik Pandya was long considered the heir apparent to the T20 throne but the shift away from his leadership was a strategic pivot towards stability. One, his fitness was dodgy. Secondly, freeing him up from captaincy duties allowed him to grow into the role of the side’s primary allrounder. This allowed India’s most valuable allround asset to stay physically and mentally fresh for highpressure situations.
APPOINTING SURYAKUMAR AS T20-ONLY CAPTAIN
Handing the T20 captaincy to Suryakumar Yadav, a one-format player, was a bold strategic move. It marked a clear shift toward format specialisation, ensuring leadership continuity in the shortest format. Known for his fearless batting and innovative mindset, Surya embodied the modern T20 philosophy India wanted to adopt. His leadership emphasised intent, aggressive Powerplay batting and tactical flexibility with bowling changes. Wit his appointment, India created a structure where decisions were driven purely by T20 demands.
DROPPING SHUBMAN GILL FOR INTENT-BASED SELECTION
Shubman Gill’s exclusion was perhaps the loudest statement of the new era. Despite his technical brilliance and ODI dominance, his ‘classical’ approach was deemed too conservative. The management prioritised strike-rates over averages. By moving on from Gill, India sent a clear message that pedigree alone wouldn’t guarantee a spot. This paved the way for a more explosive, though volatile, top order in the form of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.
BACKING SANJU SAMSON AS ROHIT’S REPLACEMENT
Replacing a titan like Rohit Sharma was no small feat but Sanju Samson’s like-for-like elevation worked wonders. While initially facing familiar ‘inconsistency’ labels, the batter delivered just when it mattered most, justifying the management’s decision to stick by him through the lean patches. Reintroducing him as a primary aggressor during the World Cup provided India with a ’keeperbatter who could exploit the Powerplay better than most. His ability to hit good balls for boundaries changed the team’s offensive baseline, turning him from a backup option into the indispensable tactical heartbeat.
MAINTAINING LEFT-RIGHT BATTING COMBINATIONS
One of the tactical commitments from India was to maintain the leftright combinations throughout the batting order. Pairings such as Abhishek Sharma with Sanju Samson at the top, followed by Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav ensured bowlers rarely settled into rhythm. Later partnerships involving Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya continued the pattern. The constant change of angles disrupted field placements and bowling plans. By structuring the lineup around alternating batting hands, India added a tactical layer that increased scoring opportunities and forced opponents to continuously adjust match-ups.
BACKING SPECIALIST FINISHERS
India placed greater emphasis on specialist finishers rather than relying solely on top-order dominance. Players like Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh were groomed for clearly defined lateovers roles. Their job was not to anchor the innings but to maximise scoring in the final five overs against pace and spin alike. This shift recognised a key modern T20 reality that games are often decided in the final phase.
INCLUDING MULTIPLE ALLROUNDERS
Allrounders became central to the squad composition, providing flexibility in both batting depth and bowling options. Players like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar allowed India to extend the batting lineup without compromising bowling resources. This multi-skilled approach made tactical adjustments easier, particularly on different pitches and conditions. It also helped captain Suryakumar to react dynamically to match situations, ensuring that the side maintained balance even while fielding aggressive batting combinations.
The Indian heroes
Prasanth.Menon, March 9, 2026: The Times of India
SURYA’S RESCUE ACT VS THE USA
The hosts were given a rude awakening in their opening encounter against the USA at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Still, on a pitch where shot-making was difficult, skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 49-ball 84 (10x4, 4x6) proved to be the difference as India prevailed by 29 runs.
Brief scores: India 161/9 (S Yadav 84*, T Varma 25; S van Schalkwyk 4-25) beat USA 132/8 (S Krishnamurthi 37; Mohammad Siraj 3-29, Axar Patel 2-24).
KISHAN, PANDYA FLAY NAMIBIA
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Ishan Kishan set the tone with a blazing 24-ball 61 (6x4, 5x6). After a mid-innings wobble, Hardik Pandya built on the early momentum to hit a sublime 52 (28 balls, 4x4, 4x6) to propel India to 209/9. He then returned to hasten Namibia’s end by claiming two wickets as India won by 93 runs.
Brief scores: India 209/9 (I Kishan 61, Pandya 52; G Erasmus 4/20) beat Namibia 116 (L Steenkamp 29, V Chakravarthy 3/7, Axar 2-20, Hardik 2-21).
SENSATIONAL KISHAN FLOORS PAK
Ishan Kishan rose above the slow, spinfriendly conditions at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo with a careerdefining knock against their arch-rivals. On a pitch where Pakistan bowled 18 overs of spin, Kishan swept, reverseswept and cut them to size as he smashed his way to an unbeaten 40-ball 77 (10x4, 3x6) to steer India to 175/7. Pakistan surrendered in their chase, getting bowled out for 114.
Brief scores: India 175/7 (I Kishan 77, Suryakumar 32; S Ayub 3-25) beat Pakistan 114 (U Khan 44, Pandya 2-16, Bumrah 2-17).
DUBE DESTROYS THE DUTCH
Shivam Dube hit a 31-ball 66 and claimed two wickets to fashion India’s 17-run win over Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The southpaw smashed four fours and six sixes in his career-best knock and then accounted for the prize wicket of the Netherlands’ top-scorer, Bas de Leede. The Dutch batters failed to read Varun Chakravarthy’s (3/14) mystery spin and were never really in the chase.
Brief scores: India 193/6 (S Dube 66, Suryakumar 34, van Beek 3-56) beat Netherlands 176/7 (de Leede 33, V Chakravarthy 3-14, S Dube 2-35).
INDIA LOSE THE PLOT AGAINST SA
Jasprit Bumrah (3/15) gave the hosts the upper hand against South Africa with a double strike in the powerplay to reduce them to 20/3. Though Arshdeep Singh (2/28) complemented his new-ball partner’s efforts, the rest of the bowlers were hit by David Miller (63), Dewald Brevis (45) and Tristan Stubbs (44*) as Proteas made 187/7. India’s batting lineup capitualted and were bundled out for 111 to end India’s 12-match unbeaten run in the T20 World Cup. Brief scores: South Africa 187/7 (D Miller 63, D Brevis 45, J Bumrah 3/15) beat India 111 (S Dube 42; Marco Jansen 4/22).
INDIA FLEX BATTING MIGHT VS ZIM
In a must-win game, India rejigged their batting order and showed their might against Zimbabwe in Chennai. All six batters who came to the crease not only crossed double figures but also had a strike rate in excess of 158 as India galloped to 256/4, aided by blistering fifties from Abhishek Sharma (55 off 30 balls, 4x4, 4x6) and Hardik Pandya (50* off 23 balls, 2x4, 4x6). Zimbabwe could only manage 184/6 as India kept their dream alive. Brief scores: India 256/4 ( A Sharma 55, H Pandya 50*; Sikandar Raza 1-29) beat Zimbabwe 184/6 in 20 overs (B Bennett 97*, Sikandar Raza 31; Arshdeep Singh 3-24).
SANJU STEERS INDIA INTO THE SEMIS
Sanju Samson repaid the faith shown in him by the team management with a high-quality knock to seal India’s semifinal berth with a five-wicket win over West Indies in a virtual quarterfinal at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Jasprit Bumrah played his part with the ball with a double strike in the 12th over to restrict a rampaging Windies to 195/4 on a flat Eden track. Unfazed by the stiff target, Sanju played a measured knock and always looked in control of the chase as he produced some classy strokes to take India home with an unbeaten 97 from 50 balls (12x4, 4x6).
Brief scores: India 199/5 in 19.2 overs (S Samson 97, T Varma 27; Jason Holder 2-38) beat West Indies 195/4 (Roston Chase 40, Jason Holder 37*; Jasprit Bumrah 2-36).
BUMRAH, SANJU SEND ENG HOME
It required the scintillating strokeplay of Sanju Samson, the ingenuity of Jasprit Bumrah with the ball and the brilliance of Axar Patel in the field to defy Jacob Bethell’s individual batting might in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Sanju bludgeoned a 42-ball 89 (8x4, 7x6) to help India post an imposing 253/7. Axar Patel’s stunning catch, running backwards to dismiss Brook and his remarkable agility at the boundary ropes to relay a catch to Shivam Dube pegged England back in their chase. However, Bethell (105; 42b, 8x4, 7x6), kept the visitors in the hunt. Bumrah again proved to be the gamechanger, conceding just eight and six in his final two overs at the death.
Brief scores: India 253/7 (S Samson 89, S Dube 43; W Jacks 2-40) beat England 246/7 (J Bethell 105, W Jacks 35; H Pandya 2-38, J Bumrah 1-33).
The best players
March 9, 2026: The Times of India
Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan )
The tournament’s highest run-getter. Became the first batsman to score two centuries in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. Even surpassed Virat Kohli’s 2014 record of most runs in a single edition of the Cup.
Sanju Samson (India) (c & wk) Walks in. Played just five matches and still finished as player of the tournament. The Indian top-order’s struggles against off-spin opened the door for him. Three successive, careerdefining knocks in the knockout stages turned him into one of the central figures of the title run. Set a new record for the most sixes (24) in a single edition. Has captaincy experience too.
Ishan Kishan (India) Obvious choice. Hammered brisk halfcenturies in the group stages against Namibia and Pakistan while opening. The 77 off 40 against Pakistan was one of the best knocks. Was shifted to No. 3 yet managed to deliver highimpact innings through the business end. Scored a 25-ball 54 in the final.
Jacob Bethell (England) Left-handed phenomenon produced a string of bold, counter-attacking innings. Standout moment was the 48ball 105 while chasing a tall total against India. Also got England out of jail against Nepal.
Shimron Hetmyer (West Indies) Provides acceleration in the middle overs. Can tear through spin. Smashed 85 off 34 balls against Zimbabwe and 64 off 36 against Scotland. Cameos against England and India also stood out. Hit 15 sixes against spinners, the most.
Hardik Pandya (India) Two players in one. With the ball, shouldered heavy workload at the death, sending down 8 overs between the 17th and 20th, the joint most. Was equally effective with the new ball, bowling 10 overs in the Powerplay. Hammered 114 runs in the death overs, the second-highest in that phase. Scored a rapid 27 off 12 balls before and took 2/38 to keep England at bay.
Will Jacks (England) Delivered a string of matchwinning, late-innings assaults — unbeaten 39 off 18 against Nepal. Blistering 53* off 22 vs Italy. Nerveless 32* off 18 in a dramatic win over New Zealand. His crafty off-spin proved equally valuable. His match-turning 3/22 knocked Sri Lanka off course in the Super 8s.
Jason Holder (West Indies) Gets in ahead of Shivam Dube. Dismantled Scotland with figures of 3/30. Followed it up with 4/27 against Nepal. Launched a late surge with a 33 off 17 against England. The composed 49 off 31 against South Africa and 37 not out off 22 balls against India also stood out.
Adil Rashid (England) The obvious spin choice. Figures of 2/16 even as the West Indies surged to 196 at the Wankhede stood out. Was equally effective during the Super 8s in Sri Lanka, exploiting the spin-friendly surfaces. Took 2/41 against India in the semis as other bowlers were taken to the cleaners.
Lungi Ngidi (South Africa) The ‘mystery’ pacer, if ever there was one. Set the tone early with a fourwicket haul against Canada. Followed it up with a 3/26 in the dramatic 187all contest against Afghanistan. The 3/30 against Windies was impressive. Delivered four overs of masterful change-of-pace bowling, using his slower balls to choke India in the Super 8s.
Jasprit Bumrah (India) The genius in the mix. India’s cheat code. Makes the opposition feel they have only 16 scoring overs. Stood out even in the losing cause against South Africa with figures of 3/15 despite the opposition posting 187. Saved his best for last, taking 4/15 to dismantle New Zealand in the final. Economy rate in Powerplay 5.9, through the middle overs 6.3 and 6.6 at the death! Truly amazing stuff.
12th man: Finn Allen (New Zealand) Gave New Zealand flying starts at the top of the order. Alongside Tim Seifert, formed a high-octane pair. The 100 not out off just 33 balls against South Africa in the semifinal was the fastest century in T20 World Cup history. —Text: Hindol Basu
FOUR INDIANS IN ICC’S TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT
Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya were the four Indians named in ICC’s team of T20 World Cup. South Africa’s Aiden Markram was named the captain. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup team of the tournament:
Sahibzada Farhan, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Aiden Markram (c), Hardik Pandya, Will Jacks, Jason Holder, Jasprit Bumrah, Lungi Ngidi, Adil Rashid, Blessing Muzarabani. 12th man: Shadley van Schalkwyk.
