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News India Live, Digital Desk: New Zealand’s journey in the T20 World Cup 2026 was full of ups and downs, but the team showed its class on important occasions. Under the captaincy of Mitchell Santner, the Kiwi team has secured its place in the World Cup final for the fourth time (including all formats) by stopping the ‘invincible juggernaut’ of South Africa in the semi-finals.
1. Group Stage: Sambhalkar’s debut
New Zealand started its campaign on the Chennai ground.
Major Wins: After the initial setbacks against Afghanistan, smart innings by Tim Seifert (65 runs) and Glenn Phillips brought the team out of trouble. At the same time, the record opening partnership (175 runs) of Finn Allen and Seifert against UAE greatly strengthened the net run rate of the Kiwi team.
2. Super-8: Showed strength amidst difficulties
In the Super-8, New Zealand was placed in Group-2 along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England.
Heavy on Sri Lanka: Thanks to Rachin Ravindra’s all-round performance (32 runs and 4 wickets), New Zealand strengthened its claim by defeating Sri Lanka by 61 runs.
Against Pakistan and England: The match against Pakistan was washed out due to rain, while it faced a close defeat against England. However, New Zealand managed to reach the semi-finals, leaving Pakistan behind due to better net run rate.
3. Semi-finals: Finn Allen’s ‘historic’ storm
The semi-final held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata became one of the most memorable matches of this tournament.
Defeated invincible Africa: South Africa, which had not lost a single match in the entire tournament, was defeated by New Zealand by 9 wickets.
Century in 33 balls: finn allen T20 World Cup history Fastest century (33 balls) It devastated the South African bowling attack. New Zealand achieved the target of 170 runs in just 12.5 overs.
Team strengths and key performers
| player | main role |
|---|---|
| finn allen | Explosive start and fastest century of the tournament. |
| michel santner | Along with captaincy, economical bowling in the middle overs. |
| Rachin Ravindra | Match-winning contribution with both ball and bat. |
| Tim Seifert | Consistent performance as a wicket-keeper batsman. |
Will New Zealand win its first title?
New Zealand has not won any senior men’s T20 World Cup so far. His performance against India in the final 3-0 The head-to-head record (in the T20 World Cup) is in their favour. If they maintain this record on Sunday, the Kiwis will win their first T20 World Cup title.