Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 9 (ANI): Philanthropist and Reliance Foundation founder-chairperson Nita Ambani congratulated the Indian men's cricket team on securing the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 edition by defeating New Zealand in the final on Sunday at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, defeated the Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand by a huge 96-run margin to defend their T20 World Cup title. With the win, India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup at home, the first team to win it back-to-back after securing the 2024 edition, and the first team to win it three times (2007, 2024, 2026).

Nita Ambani congratulated the Indian team for winning the T20 World Cup, calling it a proud and historic moment for the nation. She praised the team's fearless spirit, determination and belief, highlighting that the victory on home soil made it even more special. She also said the triumph belonged to every Indian fan and emphasised how sport has the power to unite the nation and inspire future generations.

'Over a billion hearts beat with pride and joy. Heartiest congratulations to our Men in Blue on lifting the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and becoming the first men's team in history to win the title three times. To achieve this on home soil, in front of our passionate fans, makes this triumph even more special. With fearless spirit, extraordinary grit and unwavering belief, our players showed the world what it truly means to wear India's blue,' she said in a statement.

'This victory belongs to every Indian who cheered from the stands, from their homes, and from every corner of the world. Tonight, the tricolour flies higher and brighter, and the entire nation celebrates this historic triumph with immense pride and happiness. Moments like these remind us of the power of sport to unite a nation and inspire generations to dream big for India,' Nita Ambani added.

In the T20 WC final, NZ won the toss and elected to field first. However, a return-to-form, record-breaking fifty from Abhishek Sharma (52 in 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and his 98-run stand with Samson made NZ regret the decision. Later, Samson stitched a century stand with Ishan Kishan (54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) to take India past the 200-run mark in the 16th over. After a brief slowdown, Shivam Dube (26* in eight balls, with three fours and two sixes) made some valuable runs to take India to 255/5, the highest total in T20WC finals.

James Neesham (3/46) was the leading wicket-taker for NZ.

In the run-chase of 256 runs, Axar Patel (3/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (4/15) reduced the Kiwis to 72/5, despite a half-century from Tim Seifert (52 in 26 balls, with two fours and five sixes). Despite a brief partnership between Daryl Mitchell (17) and skipper Mitchell Santner (43 in 35 balls, with three fours and two sixes), India kept chipping in with wickets, and the Kiwis were bundled out for just 159 runs. (ANI)