India Makes History with Back-to-Back T20 World Cup Wins on Home Soil

Under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, India thrashed New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, by 96 runs to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title. The victory made India the first team to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, the first to win consecutive titles after their 2024 win, and the first to lift the trophy three times (2007, 2024, 2026).

On Monday, Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan congratulated the India team for their T20 WC 2026 victory over New Zealand. He highlighted that it was India's third T20 World Cup win, their second consecutive title, and the first time a host nation has won the tournament. Radhakrishnan praised the team's performance for bringing pride to millions and extended best wishes to the players, support staff and all associated with Indian cricket.

"Yesterday was a moment of national pride as the Indian cricket team won the prestigious ICC Men's T20 World Cup, defeating the New Zealand cricket team in the final by a formidable margin at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This victory marks India's third T20 World Cup win, and significantly, it is also a back-to-back title, with India having won the previous edition as well," he said.

"The achievement is even more historic as India has become the first host nation ever to win the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, making this accomplishment truly special for the country. The team's outstanding performance throughout the tournament has brought immense joy and pride to millions of cricket lovers across the country. On behalf of the House, I extend our heartiest congratulations to the players, the support staff and all those associated with the Indian cricket for this outstanding achievement. This House wishes them continued success in the years to come," CP Radhakrishnan added.

In the final match, New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first. However, a return-to-form fifty from Abhishek Sharma (52 in 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and his 98-run stand with Samson made NZ regret the decision. Later, Samson stitched a century stand with Ishan Kishan (54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) to take India past the 200-run mark in the 16th over. After a brief slowdown, Shivam Dube (26* in eight balls, with three fours and two sixes) made some valuable runs to take India to 255/5, the highest total in T20WC finals.

James Neesham (3/46) was the leading wicket-taker for NZ.

In the run-chase of 256 runs, Axar and Bumrah helped India reduce the Kiwis to 72/5, despite a half-century from Tim Seifert (52 in 26 balls, with two fours and five sixes). Despite a brief partnership between Daryl Mitchell (17) and skipper Mitchell Santner (43 in 35 balls, with three fours and two sixes), India kept chipping in with wickets, and the Kiwis were bundled out for just 159 runs.

- ANI