In T20 cricket, it is common to begin with third man and fine leg positioned as the two fielders outside the circle. With a new ball and a fast bowler operating early, edges and miscues often travel fine behind the wicket.
On slower surfaces, those chances tend to go squarer. That was why Pat Cummins had placed a deep point for Rohit Sharma from the opening ball of the 2023 ODI World Cup final at this venue.
The 2026 T20 World Cup final was also played in Ahmedabad, but the surface presented different conditions. The mixed-soil pitch — combining red and black soil — offered more bounce compared to the slower black-soil track used three years earlier.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner had anticipated a high-scoring surface. He described the wicket as “pretty flat and high scoring” on the previous evening. Unlike Cummins in 2023, Santner opted for the conventional field setting with third man and fine leg in place as Matt Henry, his leading bowler, began the attack with the new ball.
Santner also expected India to attack early. Throughout the bilateral series between the teams and much of the tournament, India’s top order had played aggressively in the opening overs.
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India’s Powerplay Blitz Sets the Tone
New Zealand’s biggest problem was the speed at which the opening phase slipped away. India’s openers surged to 92 without loss in the Powerplay, leaving New Zealand under immediate pressure before field restrictions eased.
“Credit to Sanju [Samson] and Abhishek [Sharma] at the top to get 90 [92], I think, off the Powerplay.” Santner admitted afterwards. “It is pretty tough from there [to come back]. It was a pretty good wicket throughout. There wasn’t much for, I guess, the bowlers. The cutters weren’t really holding, not much spin. So I think either way you look at it, I think if we could have got a couple in the Powerplay, squeeze them a little bit through the middle, 220 could have been chased down on a very good wicket.”
The advantage India built in those first six overs proved decisive. Their aggressive intent was matched by execution, but New Zealand’s series of small tactical decisions also widened the gap.
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Matt Henry’s opening over began strongly with four dot balls before Sanju Samson broke the pressure by flat-batting a short delivery over long-on. The moment highlighted how favourable the pitch was for batting.
New Zealand’s Bowling Plans Fail to Click
New Zealand’s bowlers attempted to counter the batting-friendly conditions by introducing variations. During the five overs of pace delivered in the Powerplay, nearly every third ball was a slower delivery.
The strategy aimed to take pace off the ball or force batters to hit outside off stump, often with point and deep point protecting the boundary. However, the execution did not align with the plan. Lengths frequently drifted too full or too short, and only eight deliveries landed in the good-length area, yielding just 12 runs.
“There wasn’t a lot of seam or swing to start so I think the bowlers are trying to do what they can to get out of the hitting arc,” Santner said. “We know how good Sanju, Abhishek, [Ishan] Kishan are at hitting all over the wicket. I think whichever way you look at it, there’s no perfect plan when guys are going.”
“I think it is hard to stop when guys are going like that. So whether it was a few more yorkers or closing out balls, I think we tried the wide stuff. And then we tried the two on the leg side. So we tried everything. But yeah, I think credit has to go to the way they set that Powerplay up and then from there you can go pretty hard and to get a good score like they did.”
Tactical Choices Add Pressure
By the time Henry returned for his next spell, India had already raced to 51 runs in four overs. Santner had experimented with the bowling order as well, using four different bowlers in the first four overs.
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As a result, Henry — New Zealand’s most dependable seamer in the format — bowled only a single over early on. Glenn Phillips, the team’s only off-spin option after Cole McConchie was left out, also bowled just once in the Powerplay despite conceding only five runs.
“I think the way they played the over, Abhishek I thought played that very smart,” Santner explained. “I know at times he comes a little bit hard at the off spinner, but he gave it over to Sanju. And then I think the first kind of three overs is when the ball is doing its most. And then I think you can really capitalize on the last three of the Powerplay like they did.”
“So it was always going to be hard. I think if Sanju got out, definitely would have been another option for GP to bowl to the two left-handers. But when you’re not taking wickets, it’s always a challenge.”
The Powerplay Difference
Santner ultimately pointed to the opening six overs as the defining phase of the match.
“I think the tale of the day was the two Powerplays,” Santner said. “They were 90 for none and we were three for 40.”
From that moment, chasing 256 was always going to be difficult. Against a team that had already seized control of the match, the margin for recovery narrowed quickly.
“When you come up against a very good team in a final, you always want to do well,” Santner said. “And I think we obviously, we all know that we weren’t at our best tonight and if you aren’t at your best against a very good team you’re going to be exposed and that’s kind of what we were tonight. So I think we probably look at some options with the ball and with the bat and can reflect on that again. you have to be going pretty well against India in a final.”
On this occasion, the Powerplay surge from India proved enough to tilt the final. Santner had assessed the pitch accurately and anticipated India’s aggressive intent, but once the opening phase slipped entirely in the hosts’ favour, the match had already begun to move out of New Zealand’s reach.
