New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner has declared his intention to spoil India's party in the T20 World Cup 2026 final. Speaking ahead of the clash in Ahmedabad, Santner said the Black Caps don't mind being underdogs and aim to "break a few hearts" and "silence the crowd" to lift the trophy.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner aims to spoil Team India’s party in the T20 World Cup 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. India and New Zealand will face each other for the first time in a T20 World Cup final.
The Men in Blue, defending champions, qualified for a record fourth final of the tournament by defeating England in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Black Caps, on the other hand, will play their second T20 World Cup final after defeating South Africa in the first semifinal at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
Team India and New Zealand will clash in a high-stakes encounter, with both sides aiming to lift the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy and etch their names in cricketing history. The battle for supremacy in the ongoing edition of the tournament is expected to draw massive attention from cricket fans worldwide.
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‘Wouldn't Mind Breaking a Few Hearts'
Speaking at the press conference on the eve of the title clash with Team India, Mitchell Santner was reminded of New Zealand’s near-misses in the ICC events and asked whether his side would be ruthless and ‘bad guys’ to ‘break a billion hearts’ in the final.
In response, Santner stated that the Black Caps wouldn’t be intimidated by pressure or the support for Team India by the home crowd; rather, his side would focus on executing their plans and wouldn’t mind ‘‘wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts’ to lift the trophy.
“I wouldn't mind winning a trophy. You look at this group and the groups that have been in the past, we are pretty consistent on these because we try not to get overawed by the situation or opponents. We go out there and do our thing. And as a unit, it's been no different this time.” NZ skipper said.
“And again, it's going to be obviously a challenge where everyone knows we're probably not the favourites. But we don't mind.
“We know we can, if we do our little things well and put in a strong team performance, put us in a pretty good position to hopefully lift the trophy. I wouldn't mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” he added.
Before the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 Final, Team India and New Zealand played a five-match T20I series, with the Men in Blue emerging victorious 4–1. Having played against each other earlier before the title clash, the results of that series were left behind as both teams focused solely on the final.
The Goal - Silence the Indian Crowd
Back in the 2023 ODI World Cup Final, Australia skipper Pat Cummins famously said his team wanted to ‘hear big crowd go silent’, a goal they achieved when packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad fell quiet as Australia dominated Team India to clinch their record-extending sixth triumph.
Team India has returned to play the T20 World Cup Final at the same venue where they suffered heartbreak in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. However, New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner is aiming to repeat history in his own way, targeting a strong performance that could ‘silence the crowd’, asserting that India will be under pressure to perform on home soil.
“That's the goal, to silence the crowd. There are a lot of variables in T20 cricket, and it can be fickle at times, as we've seen throughout the World Cup. A lot of teams are on the same page, and it comes down to a few little moments in every game that change the outcome. So I think India were very close to chasing that the other night,” Santner said at the press conference.
“If we go about our business the same way, we can upset another big team. And I think there is obviously a lot of pressure on India to win this World Cup at home.
“I guess if we don't win, it'd be pretty cool to win a home at the World Cup. So I think that comes with a lot of added pressure as well. So if we can go out there and try and put, I guess, the added pressure on them and see what happens,” he added.
Over 130,000 spectators are expected to flock to the Narendra Modi Stadium to witness the T20 World Cup 2026 final, creating an electrifying atmosphere as both India and New Zealand battle for the coveted title on home soil.
