Brilliant India crushes New Zealand by 96 runs to win Twenty20 World Cup for a record 3rd time

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — India won the T20 World Cup for a record third time with a crushing 96-run victory over New Zealand on Sunday to the delight of more than 86,000 cricket fans at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

Defending champion India scored an imposing 255-5 in the final after losing the toss and batting first. Opener Sanju Samson hit a brilliant 46-ball 89, in his third straight 50.

New Zealand never posed a genuine threat in its chase and was all out for 159 in 19 overs. India pacer Jasprit Bumrah took 4-15 in four overs and Axar Patel picked up 3-27 in three overs. New Zealand opener Tim Seifert scored a 26-ball 52 with five sixes.

India, which won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and 2024, became the first country to successfully defend its title. India won the 2024 final against South Africa by seven runs but dominated Sunday from the start.

New Zealand was aiming for its first T20 World Cup triumph. It also finished as runner-up in the 2021 final, losing to Australia in Dubai.

Abhishek Sharma roared into form as he hit three sixes and six fours in his 21-ball 52, reaching his half century in only 18 balls. Samson took to the skies as well, hitting eight sixes in all, as the duo reached 50 off only 24 deliveries.

India's 92-0 was the joint highest power play score in any T20 World Cup match, equaling West Indies' 92-1 against Afghanistan in the 2024 edition.

It proved a superb base for building a formidable total and India never really relinquished control of the game. Sharma was out caught behind in the eighth over, but Ishan Kishan and Samson added another 105 off 48 balls for the second wicket.

Samson reached 50 off 33 balls – after 97 not out and 89 against West Indies and England, respectively – while Kishan powered to a third half-century in the tournament, coming off 23 balls.

Samson’s 89 was the highest individual score in a men’s T20 World Cup final and he was named player of the tournament for his 321 runs at an average of 80.25.

“It feels like a dream actually. I am very happy and grateful, out of emotions and words," Samson said.

India was past 200 in the 15th over, when it briefly stumbled. James Neesham picked up three wickets in the 16th over – Samson and Kishan were caught at long on, and then Suryakumar Yadav was out caught in the deep on the leg side for a first ball duck.

Shivam Dube's 26 not out off eight balls with two sixes helped India cross 250 yet again.

Finn Allen was out caught off Patel for just nine, while Kishan took a spectacular catch to send back Rachin Ravindra (1) off Bumrah.

Patel bowled Glenn Phillips (5) and Hardik Pandya cleaned up Mark Chapman (3) as New Zealand was down to 70-4 in 7.4 overs.

Seifert's innings included five sixes before he was Varun Chakravarthy’s sole wicket of the day, with Kishan claiming another fine catch.

Kishan was in action again as Patel sent back Daryl Mitchell (17), while Bumrah returned to polish off the lower order.

He was on a hat trick in the 16th over and took his tally to 40 wickets in T20 World Cups – the most for a pacer in tournament history.

Bumrah was named player of the match.

“It feels extremely special because I have played one final at my home venue but couldn’t win that one, but this one feels really special," Bumrah said. “I was really motivated and really clear about what I wanted to do. Today, all execution went as per our plans.”.

It was a memorable night for fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where India lost to Australia in the Cricket World Cup final in 2023.

India became the first country to successfully defend its title and also the first team to claim the trophy on home soil. India and Sri Lanka co-hosted this 2026 edition.

Yadav joined the likes of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as Indian captains to lift the T20 World Cup on another big day for Indian cricket.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Cricket fans celebrate India's win in the T20 World Cup cricket final match against New Zealand, in Guwahati, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

India's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the T20 World Cup final match against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Cricket fans celebrate after India defeated New Zealand final match of T20 World Cup in Lucknow Uttar Pradesh state, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

India's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the T20 World Cup final match against New Zealand, in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's players celebrate after winning the T20 World Cup cricket final match against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's players celebrate after winning the T20 World Cup cricket final match against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of New Zealand's James Neesham during the T20 World Cup cricket final match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of New Zealand's Matt Henry during the T20 World Cup cricket final match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's Sanju Samson celebrates his fifty runs during the T20 World Cup cricket final match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's Ishan Kishan celebrates his fifty runs during the T20 World Cup cricket final match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's James Neesham celebrates the wicket of India's captain Suryakumar Yadav, right, during the T20 World Cup cricket final match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's Abhishek Sharma celebrates his fifty runs with during the T20 World Cup cricket final match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Sanju Samson hits a boundary during the T20 World Cup cricket final match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

U.S. forces on Monday launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began.

Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the U.S. military said. Separately, the U.S. military denied Iran’s claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.

Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he’s “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal’s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

▶ Read more

Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.

The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who’s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump’s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.

“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.

The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.

Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran’s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.

The announcement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war Feb. 28, rattling the global economy.

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn’t say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.

It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.

▶ Read more

President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. step off from Marine One upon their arrival on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026, after speaking at an event in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump steps off from Marine One upon his arrival at the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)