Ahmedabad, March 7 – New Zealand are now just one win away from completing a remarkable turnaround. After suffering a disappointing exit in the group stage of the 2024 edition, the BlackCaps have staged an impressive comeback at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. With five victories and only two defeats so far, New Zealand have qualified for the final and are on the verge of securing their first-ever title.
Standing in their way is Team India, the very team that denied them a victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, just a year ago. As the two teams prepare to meet again on the biggest stage, New Zealand will be eager to turn the tables and complete their redemption story.
In front of hundreds of thousands of spectators, the two teams, India and New Zealand, will face off against each other, with both sides eager to make history. Before the final clash, let's analyze New Zealand's performance at the world's largest stadium.
New Zealand have played only two matches at this venue in the T20I format, and they are still searching for their first win in Ahmedabad, having lost both previous encounters.
Of their two T20I games at the venue, one was during the T20 World Cup this season, when they faced South Africa in a group stage match. This was their first major test against the unbeaten Proteas side.
Early aggressive batting by Marco Jansen caused problems for the opposition, reducing their score to 58/3 within the powerplay. Mark Chapman's smooth 48 off 26 balls, combined with Daryl Mitchell's reliable 32 from 24 deliveries, enabled the BlackCaps to regain control and reach a total of 175/7.
New Zealand played their first-ever T20I at this venue in February 2023 against the hosts, India. India produced a commanding all-round display to defeat the Kiwis by 168 runs after posting a formidable 234/4 in 20 overs.
After losing Ishan Kishan early, India were powered by a superb unbeaten century from Shubman Gill. Gill smashed 126 off just 63 balls, striking 12 fours and seven sixes at a blistering strike rate of 200. He received strong support from Rahul Tripathi, who made a quickfire 44 off 22 balls, as the pair helped India dominate the powerplay. Contributions from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya further boosted the total, with Gill sharing a crucial 103-run partnership with Pandya.
Chasing a daunting target, New Zealand's innings never recovered after a disastrous start that saw them slump to 7/4 within three overs. Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 36, but wickets continued to fall. Pandya led the bowling effort with 4/16, while Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik claimed two wickets each as New Zealand were bowled out for 66 in 12.1 overs.
New Zealand's record in Ahmedabad in T20Is:
Played: 2
Won: 0
Lost: 2
New Zealand's record in Ahmedabad at the 2026 T20 World Cup:
Played: 1
Won: 0
Lost: 1
