Ahmedabad, March 9 -- New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted that the team knew they entered the T20 World Cup 2026 final against India as the "underdogs" after their 96-run loss to the Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India. He also acknowledged that India outperformed New Zealand, saying the Men in Blue "showed their class" in the summit clash on Sunday at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup at home, the first team to win it back-to-back after securing the 2024 edition as well and also became the first team to win it three times (2007, 2024, 2026).

For New Zealand, on the other hand, the defeat added another chapter to their history of heartbreak in ICC finals. After finishing as run...