Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma Create New Record in T20 World Cup

Abhishek Sharma smashed a rapid fifty off just 18 balls as he and fellow opener Sanju Samson gave India a flying start in the high-pressure T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, taking the score to 92 without loss by the end of the powerplay. Earlier, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and decided to field first against Suryakumar Yadav’s Indian side at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

India Powerplay Record in T20 World Cup in IND vs NZ Final 2026

India’s 92 for no wicket is now the highest powerplay score in T20 World Cup during this tournament. The previous best was India’s 86 for one against Namibia. This is also the joint-highest powerplay score in the history of the T20 World Cup, as West Indies achieved this feat in the 2024 edition against Afghanistan.

New Zealand delivered 8 wides during the powerplay of the T20 World Cup 2026 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, the highest by a full member team in the tournament’s history. At the same time, India recorded their best opening stand in this edition, with some of the best T20 batsmen, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, putting together a strong 98-run partnership.

Abhishek was finally removed by Rachin Ravindra after scoring 52 runs, which ended his opening stand with Samson. Notably, Abhishek’s 18-ball half-century is the quickest fifty recorded in this edition of the World Cup, going past the 19-ball fifties earlier scored by Aiden Markram, Jacob Bethell and Shimron Hetmyer.

It also stands as the fastest half-century ever made in a knockout match of the T20 World Cup. India were 12 without loss after the first two overs, but then smashed 80 runs in the following four overs to reach a huge 92/0 score by the end of the powerplay.