Australia has the legacy. India has the recency. And New Zealand has the consistency.

That is one way to sum up performances at ICC limited-overs World Cups in the last decade. Since 2015, Sunday (March 8, 2026) will mark the fifth time New Zealand’s men feature in the final of a global tournament — a testament to their sustained excellence across formats.

Yet captain Mitchell Santner knows that the team often dubbed the “nicest guys” in world cricket will have to break a billion hearts if they are to lift the Men’s T20 World Cup trophy on Sunday (March 8) night.

For Santner, the choice is straightforward. “I wouldn’t mind winning a trophy,” Santner said at a crowded media conference at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday (March 7, 2026), on the eve of the final. “You look at this group and the groups that have been in the past and we are pretty consistent in our thoughts. We try not to get ruled by the situation or the opponents. We just go out there and do our thing as a unit.

“It’s been no different this time. Everyone knows we are probably not the favourites, but we don’t mind that. If we do the little things well and put in a strong team performance, it can put us in a good position to hopefully lift the trophy. But yeah, I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to do that.”

India, meanwhile, have been nearly invincible in ICC tournaments of late. In their last 30 matches across global events, the hosts have lost only twice — the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia and the Super Eight clash against South Africa last month. Both defeats came at this very venue.

Australia captain Pat Cummins, whose famous “silence the crowd” remark echoed through the stadium in 2023, believes handling the atmosphere will again be key. “I guess that’s the goal — to silence the crowd,” Cummins said to Santner. “There are a lot of variables in T20 cricket. It’s fickle at times. We’ve seen throughout this World Cup that teams are very evenly matched. It often comes down to a few small moments that change the outcome.”

Cummins also pointed to the pressure on the hosts. “There is obviously a lot of pressure on India to win this World Cup at home. If we don’t win, it would be pretty cool to win a home World Cup. That comes with added pressure, so we can go out there and try to put that pressure on them and see what happens.”

For New Zealand, the final also carries recent context. The two sides met in a five-match T20I series in India just before the tournament — a contest India dominated 4-1. Santner believes the lessons from that series have helped the Black Caps during the World Cup.

“In terms of planning and execution, it was a great series. We were challenged a lot of times,” Santner said. “You build on what works and what doesn’t and take that information forward.

“We obviously played on five pretty good surfaces around India. I’m not sure what it’s going to play like here, but I assure you it’s going to be pretty good. Guys will take good conversations from that series into this game. But a World Cup final is a little bit different to a bilateral series.”

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said he was surprised to see Abhishek Sharma play a defensive stroke, praising the explosive opener for silencing his critics with a timely half-century against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup.

Since returning from a stomach bug, Abhishek looked a distant shadow of his dominating self, registering three ducks in a row.

However, on Thursday, Abhishek snapped the lean patch, scoring a 30-ball 55 in India’s 72-run win over Zimbabwe to signal a return to form.

“We know how good Abhishek Sharma is as a batter. He silenced his doubters with this knock of 55 runs against Zimbabwe,” Gavaskar told JioStar.

“He took that extra time to start his innings. There was a method to his batting. He respected the off spinner, didn’t take any kind of risks and played in a calm and a composed manner.” “In this game, he actually played a defensive shot. He defended the ball. I was surprised to see that because we don’t usually see Abhishek do that,” Gavaskar added.

The legendary batter said it has been a learning curve for Abhishek, whose batting exploits are at the forefront of India’s attack.

“I really think this is a learning curve for him. Every cricketer goes through a rough patch of not scoring runs in back-to-back games. It is about how much you learn from it,” Gavaskar said.

“I feel Abhishek has learned a lot and this will augur well for him going forward, in the next couple of games and the all-important clash against West Indies in Kolkata.” Gavaskar said India appeared a “broken” side against South Africa but learnt quickly from their mistakes to bring Sanju Samson back at the top to ensure a right hand-left hand combination.

“As they say, why fix things if it ain’t broke? But India were broken against South Africa. They realised they needed a right-left combination at the top. Learning from the previous game was very important,” he said.

“In the interest of the team, he (Samson) went for a big hit and got out. That is fine because he got India off to a flying start. In a tournament like the T20 World Cup, that is important. A flying start gives a nice platform for the other batters to come in and smash the ball around.”

Gavaskar said India will have to be wary of West Indies’ all-round firepower as the two teams meet in a virtual knockout game in Kolkata on Sunday.

“(The) West Indies is a completely different challenge. They cannot be taken for granted. Their batters are in top form. Their bowlers are doing well. They punish opposition mistakes and strike at the right time,” Gavaskar said.

“India will need a good plan to handle the West Indies batting threat. Their batters start playing shots from ball one. They do not wait to see if the delivery needs respect. Their way of respecting the ball is by hitting it over the ropes.”

Arshdeep Singh is candid by nature and funny by default. It was no surprise, then, that a throng of sports scribes swarmed the left-arm pacer, thrusting recording devices forward, as he walked into the mixed zone at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

“I thought you guys were going to beat me up,” Arshdeep quipped, setting the ball rolling.

Even as the conversation veered into technical territory, Arshdeep retained his wit and humour.

The 27-year-old understands that T20s are tough on bowlers. “I try to keep things simple. Some days are good and some days are not, and I make peace with it,” he said after India’s 72-run win over Zimbabwe on Thursday.

Asked if he was trying to improve anything specific, he added: “[I’m] trying to control the urge to bowl bad balls. Yes, mainly that.”

Arshdeep’s three for 24 against Zimbabwe made him the Men in Blue’s leading wicket-taker (35 scalps) in T20 World Cup history, surpassing Jasprit Bumrah (33).

“Even if we go for runs, it’s not a problem. Our gameplan has been like this for the last two years. We score a lot and try to defend it. So as long as we keep getting pitches on which our batters can play freely, we [bowlers] are more than happy to do the dirty job.”

The Punjab bowler thanked South Africa for beating West Indies, a result that eased some pressure on India’s title defence.

“My family was in the room when the WI batters were hitting, papa gaali dete the ki kya kar raha hai (father was abusing what are they doing). So I was like, ‘it’s okay, don’t be angry and just enjoy the match and hope South Africa wins, and we also win our remaining matches.’ Thank you to South Africa for giving us the chance to decide our result… now we will try to not lose in the finals,” he said.

Asked if the West Indies’ aggressive approach might backfire against India, Arshdeep said: “It’s not really [just] one gear. They played really well in the middle overs [against South Africa] and took the game deep. It shows they can adapt to the situation”.

If the opening match against the United States of America was seen as a muffled wake-up call, the encounter involving South Africa was a rude jolt. India’s winning streak in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup was finally snapped as the Proteas flourished at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 23, 2026).

The Men in Blue had their rivals hobbling at 20 for three but the middle overs choke never happened. David Miller and Dewald Brevis stitched a kinetic 97-run partnership. And Varun Chakaravarthy’s mystery element was snuffed out as the left-right combine of Miller and Brevis remained busy.

A lack of discipline was evident too as India conceded 11 extras. Even if in the death, the splendid Jasprit Bumrah pegged back the visitors, South Africa’s 187 for seven was a competitive score. The fans, tipping over 80,000, were in good cheer before it all went downhill for the defending champion.

Through this championship, India has tended to lose its opening wicket with hardly anything on the scoreboard. The highest first-wicket partnership so far has been the 25 between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson against Namibia, else it has always been a case of a single digit and an instant breach.

Abhishek Sharma’s sudden dip in form evident in three zeros and a brief 15, has meant that the middle-order is often forced to salvage the innings. In a fickle arena that the T20Is are, Abhishek should be able to turn it around, but still in a global tournament, there is not much elbow room.

Suryakumar Yadav has resigned himself to be the binding glue instead of being the force-multiplier that the captain usually is. It is a direct reflection of the muddled top-order in which Tilak Varma is yet to fully get into his groove.

This young Indian outfit is obviously part of the selector’s long-term plan. Still, men like K.L. Rahul, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant have been kept out. Add to that the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and it is imperative for Suryakumar’s men to get past these massive vacant shoes.

Looking ahead, the think-tank has to figure out if it is prudent to bench vice-captain Axar Patel. The games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies are ‘must-win’ ones, especially after India’s net run rate plunged to -3.8. This still remains a good team, but some operational rust has to be quickly sandpapered away.

Much water has flowed down the Sabarmati since India and South Africa clashed at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last December. Suryakumar Yadav’s men clinched that fifth T20I to seize the series at 3-1. Now at the same venue, the two units will square up against each other in the ICC T20 World Cup Super Eight Group 1 match on Sunday (February 22, 2026).

Having played three Group D games at Ahmedabad, South Africa is clued into the surface. Yet, this awareness may not negate the host’s advantage that India naturally has. The Men in Blue also played their last encounter here against Netherlands.

Aiden Markram’s men have some history to brood over. In the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup final at Bridgetown, South Africa lost to Rohit Sharma’s men by seven runs. Cut to the present, the visitors know that defending champion India is a potent threat.

India won all its Group A outings but the results cannot mask some areas of concern. Atop the batting tree, Abhishek Sharma’s three ducks may cause some worry but he is a rare talent, even as Sanju Samson remains an option.

The host found its heroes in every game, with Shivam Dube sparkling against Netherlands. Along with Hardik Pandya, Dube adds value to the all-rounder zone within the Indian playing eleven. Losing wickets in clusters has often shadowed India, and now as the championship veers towards its business end, solidity and extra runs remain imperative.

The South African batters can strike hard and that would be a challenge to an Indian attack helmed by Jasprit Bumrah. The spinners will have to rein in the rival batters. Men like Quinton de Kock, thanks to the Indian Premier League, have a sense of the Indian bowlers. Much would hinge on South African speedsters like Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi, and their tussle with the India’s top-order.

In its campaign so far, South Africa has been on cruise mode except during the scare that Afghanistan nearly inflicted in a clash that spilled into two super overs. Against India, Markram’s troops have an opportunity to find a second wind.

The ICC Test Championship mace rests with the Proteas, but in limited overs cricket, it has often been a tale of heartbreak. South Africa wants to alter its cricketing fortunes while India hopes for an extended winning streak. Sunday’s face-off should be an adrenaline soaked one.