New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed Suryakumar Yadav-led India to beat New Zealand and lift their second successive title in the much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 08. This will be the first meeting between India and the Kiwis in a T20 World Cup final.
New Zealand have so far beaten India in all three meetings in T20 World Cups over the years, however, the hosts will start favourite in home conditions in the summit clash on Sunday. New Zealand entered the final after walloping South Africa in the semifinal, while India edged England in a thriller to make it to their second straight final.
Despite posting a huge total of 253 runs on the board in the semifinal against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai earlier this week, the hosts survived a scare to enter the final. Jacob Bethell’s magnificent ton nearly propelled England over the line, but the Indian bowlers held their nerves to secure a nerve-wracking win for the Men in Blue.
Ahead of their all-important meeting against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, Ganguly called India a very strong team, backing them to lift the trophy. “India will win the World Cup. They are very strong. All their players can hit sixes. They will definitely win,” Ganguly told news agency ANI.
Earlier, Indian skipper Suryakumar also spoke about his team’s chances in the final and said there will be pressure on him, but he is looking to enjoy what will be his first T20 World Cup final in India as a player and a captain. Suryakumar was part of India’s title-winning squad in 2024, and will be aiming to become only the third captain after Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni to inspire the Men in Blue to T20 World Cup glory.
“Yes, obviously, as a leader, there will definitely be pressure on me. I am not saying that there will be no pressure. But at the same time, there is a lot of excitement because you don’t always get a chance to play in the World Cup final. And that too in India,” Suryakumar told reporters on Saturday.
“We’ve been preparing for this stage really well. Started two years back in its journey and the circle has come to the same stadium again where we left in 2023. Hopefully, we play some good cricket, be courageous in tough situations,” he added.