T20 World Cup final score live: India v New Zealand start time and latest updates today – UK Times

The anthems are belted out, and we’re almost ready for action…

MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma carry the trophy out on to the field ahead of play. The Narendra Modi Stadium holds 130,000 fans and most of them are now in their seats, wearing blue, as the start approaches.

No changes from the Indian team who knocked out England in the semi-finals:

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand have decided to make one change, bringing in seamer Jacob Duffy for off-spinner Cole McConchie, on what has proved to be the least spin-friendly pitch in India during this World Cup:

New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Jimmy Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.

An important start for New Zealand: Mitchell Santner wins the toss and elects to field.

The toss is coming up very shortly…

Ticket prices for Sunday’s Twenty20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand have soared on the black market, with fans paying more than 15 times the original rate as demand overwhelms supply ahead of the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Official tickets, starting at 2,000 Indian rupees ($21.76), sold out within minutes on BookMyShow, prompting thousands of fans to turn to unofficial channels.

Some tickets with a face value of 3,500 rupees were selling for as much as 54,000 rupees when Reuters checked on the eve of the match.

Scalpers have seized control of the resale market, pushing prices far beyond face value as supporters scramble for a seat to witness India’s bid for back-to-back titles at the world’s largest cricket stadium, where more than 100,000 predominantly home fans are expected to turn up.

“I’ve paid 35,000 rupees for a 3,000-rupee ticket because I couldn’t get through the waiting list,” said a businessman from Mumbai requesting anonymity.

“There are specific WhatsApp groups for reselling tickets. You only get added if you’re serious, and it works strictly on advance payment so buyers don’t back out.”

Finn Allen’s form will pose a threat to India, whose bowling attack has suffered issues on flatter surfaces in this tournament and has constantly looked up to Jasprit Bumrah. The likes of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips are well versed with these conditions on offer, and have familiarity with the Indian bowling too.

Ishan Kishan has been the sole consistent performer in India’s top-order. Abhishek Sharma is still struggling. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma have shuffled up and down the order on numerous occasions — it has worked at times. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube offer key hitting prowess.

How they fare against Matt Henry’s pace and Santner’s spin guile, as opposed to Allen versus Bumrah, will be key ingredients to this final.

Through round one, India finished top of Group A — also featuring Pakistan. Their sole hiccup in this tournament also came against South Africa — losing the first Super 8 game, also at Ahmedabad.

It served as a wake-up call for the defending champions — coach Gautam Gambhir switched openers as Sanju Samson came into the playing eleven to lighten the load on Abhishek Sharma. Samson has since scored 210 runs in three innings with back-to-back half-centuries against West Indies (Kolkata) and England (first semifinal in Mumbai).

Prior to this tournament, New Zealand engaged with India in a five-match T20 series and lost 4-1. However, that squad had a lot of second-string players and not many will consider that scoreline as a pointer to this matchup.

Since then, New Zealand have shifted up through the gears. It finished second in Group D, losing only to South Africa in the first round. The Proteas did enjoy advantage in that game at Ahmedabad, playing most of its games at the same venue.

That balance overturned in Kolkata, when New Zealand thumped South Africa by nine wickets in the first semifinal. Clever bowling, both pace and spin, and Allen’s 100 not out off 33 balls knocked the 2024 runner-up out of reckoning. In between, across the Super 8s, New Zealand only lost to England en route to the semifinals, beating Sri Lanka in Colombo, while its game against Pakistan was washed out.