NZ’s Road to Final: From group stage to final, Finn Allen’s storm and Santner’s spin got New Zealand the ticket.

News India Live, Digital Desk: New Zealand’s journey in the T20 World Cup 2026 was full of ups and downs, but the team showed its class on important occasions. Under the captaincy of Mitchell Santner, the Kiwi team has confirmed its place in the World Cup final for the fourth time (including all formats) by stopping the ‘invincible juggernaut’ of South Africa in the semi-finals.1. Group Stage: Sambhalkar’s start New Zealand started its campaign on the ground in Chennai. Major victory: After the initial setbacks against Afghanistan, the sensible innings of Tim Seifert (65 runs) and Glenn Phillips got the team out of trouble. At the same time, the record opening partnership (175 runs) of Finn Allen and Seifert against UAE greatly strengthened the net run rate of the Kiwi team.2. Super-8: Showed courage amidst difficulties. In Super-8, New Zealand was placed in Group-2 along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England. Heavy on Sri Lanka: Thanks to Rachin Ravindra’s all-round performance (32 runs and 4 wickets), New Zealand strengthened its claim by defeating Sri Lanka by 61 runs. Against Pakistan and England: The match against Pakistan was washed out due to rain, while against England it had to face a close defeat. However, due to better net run rate, New Zealand was successful in reaching the semi-finals, leaving Pakistan behind.3. Semi-final: Finn Allen’s ‘historic’ storm The semi-final held at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens became one of the most memorable matches of this tournament. Defeated Africa: South Africa, which had not lost a single match in the entire tournament, was defeated by New Zealand by 9 wickets. Century in 33 balls: Finn Allen devastated the South African bowling attack by scoring the fastest century (33 balls) in T20 World Cup history. New Zealand achieved the target of 170 runs in just 12.5 overs.Team Strengths and Key PerformersPlayersMain RoleFinn AllenExplosive start and fastest century of the tournament.Mitchell SantnerCaptaincy as well as economical bowling in the middle overs.Rachin Ravindra Match-winning contribution with both ball and bat.Tim SeifertConsistent performance as a wicket-keeper batsman.Will New Zealand win its first Titles?New Zealand has not won any senior men’s T20 World Cup so far. Their 3-0 head-to-head record (in the T20 World Cup) against India in the final is in their favor. If they maintain this record on Sunday, the Kiwis will win their first T20 World Cup title.