15.1 OUT! CAUGHT! James Neesham strikes on his return to the attack. Not the best of balls, but Neesham will take it. A high-full toss, around the waist, on off. Samson waits back to smash it down the ground but does not quite manage to get his hands through the ball in a fashion he would have liked. Hits it flat towards long on, where the sub fielder, Cole McConchie, runs across to his left and stays side on to complete the catch whilst ensuring he stays away from the boundary cushions. Samson has a look at the umpires but they are happy with the height. End of a top knock from Sanju. 203/2

7.1 OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND​​! Rachin Ravindra continues to have a dream run with the ball as he breaks this dangerous opening partnership. Rachin goes full and wide outside off. Abhishek reaches out for it as he looks to carve it behind square on the off side. He gets a faint outside edge instead, and Seifert takes a sharp catch behind the stumps. Had Abhishek left that, it would have been a wide. But he goes after providing a solid platform for his side. 98/1

15.5 OUT! TAKEN! Both set batters dismissed in the same over, and New Zealand have a sniff. James Neesham is thrilled to bits. Neesham switches to around the wicket and bowls it very full, on middle. Kishan hangs low to go down the ground. He takes it on the full and goes through with the shot. One hand comes off the bat handle, and he gets it only as far as long on. Mark Chapman moves to his right at long on and does the rest. 204/3

18.2 OUT! TAKEN! Matt Henry responds well here. He bangs this into the pitch, on off, takes pace off, but gets some extra bounce as well. Hardik Pandya tries to go straight and tries to flat-bat it down the ground but only manages to get a top edge. The ball flies high in the air towards mid off, where Mitchell Santner settles under it and takes a good catch. 226/5

16 OUT! CAUGHT! India lose their captain for a golden duck and it is three wickets in the over for James Neesham. He bangs this into the pitch, just around off. Suryakumar Yadav looks to target his favourite area towards long leg. He gets low and scoops it but does not get hold of it. Rachin Ravindra moves to his right and takes a superb sliding catch. The crowd has gone silent and India are 204/4 now. 204/4

8.1 OUT! CAUGHT IN THE DEEP! It is just like a hammer blow on the Kiwis. A spectacular catch from Ishan Kishan yet again. Seifert miscues the pull on this short ball towards the deep mid-wicket region. Kishan moves to his right at deep mid-wicket to take it. Sensing he might lose his balance, he lobs the ball up momentarily but keeps himself inside the field of play and safely completes the catch. Tim Seifert departs after a breezy knock, and New Zealand are 72/5 now. 72/5

2.4 OUT! TAKEN! Axar Patel draws first blood. He bowls this short again, on middle, angling in. Finn Allen tries to move back and pull it but does not get enough room to free his arms. He ends up hitting it much straighter and down the throat of long on, where Tilak Varma takes an easy catch ahead of the ropes. The centurion from the last game walks back early here. New Zealand are 31/1, chasing 256. 31/1

3.1 OUT! CAUGHT! Jasprit Bumrah once again strikes first ball. He did it in the semis and now in the final as well. Starts with a slower one, full and on leg, Rachin Ravindra looks to flick it away but goes through the shot early. Gets it from the toe-end of the bat as the ball flies in the air towards deep square leg, where Ishan Kishan runs forward and dives to take a superb catch, inches above the ground. The ball almost pops out of his grasp, but he does well to keep hold of it, even as his cap briefly blocks his vision while he tumbles to the ground. New Zealand are 32/2, chasing 256 runs. 32/2

4.5 OUT! TIMBER! The leg stump goes for a toss. Wickets off successive overs for Axar Patel. Under-cutter by Patel, full and sliding on with the arm, on middle and leg. Glenn Phillips stays rooted to the crease and swings hard at it to force it away. The ball keeps coming into him and skids through to go past the inside edge before uprooting the leg pole. New Zealand are 3 down for 47, chasing 256. 47/3

7.4 OUT! CHOPPED ON! Mark Chapman drops his head in disappointment. Pushed across the left-hander, on a good length, Chapman reaches out to thrash it through the off side, but the ball catches the inside edge and deflects back onto the stumps. After an expensive first over, Hardik has struck back in his second over. New Zealand are now 70/4, chasing 256. 70/4

12.5 OUT! TAKEN! Axar Patel gets his third now. He bowls a juicy full toss, on middle. Daryl Mitchell tries to slog it away but gets it high on the bat. He loses his shape and mistimes the shot straight to deep mid-wicket, where Ishan Kishan takes his third catch of the game. The easiest one of the three. The Kiwis are six down now. 124/6

17.3 OUT! BOWLED! Bumrah has his fourth wicket of the finale. He rolls his fingers on the leather and takes pace off, executing the yorker. Lands the ball right at the base of the middle pole as Mitchell Santner tries to slog it over the leg side. He swings his bat months early before the ball arrives and misses. The ball dips below his bat and makes an absolute mess of the stumps. 152/9

15.3 OUT! CASTLED! Boom Boom strikes now. A pinpoint yorker, on middle, takes pace off as well. James Neesham clears his front leg to go big across the line but goes through the shot very early. He misses it completely as the ball goes through and hits the base of the middle stump. 141/7

15.4 OUT! BOWLED'EM! Jasprit Bumrah is on a hat-trick now! This is another excellent slower yorker, dipping in, too good for any batter, let it be a tail-ender. Matt Henry backs away to play at it, but plays all over it, and the ball goes through to rattle the stumps once more. 141/8

19 OUT! CAUGHT! It is all over. Abhishek bowls it on a length outside off at 70.3 kph. Slower through the air, the ball grips and turns. Duffy goes for a flat-batted hit down the ground but mistimes it. Tilak Varma settles under it near the ropes and completes a fine catch. He lobs the ball up in the air, sensing he might step onto the ropes, but he is well inside the field and calmly takes it again. A comprehensive win for the Men in Blue as Eoin Morgan on air mentions that this is India's biggest win in a T20 World Cup match. The celebrations start in the Indian dugout and the noise is absolutely deafening at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The ghosts of 2023 have been exorcised in 2026 as INDIA WIN THE T20 WORLD CUP for the third time and defend their crown in a commanding fashion. India win by 96 runs. 159/10