India will take on New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, March 08, at the gigantic venue of the Narendra Modi Stadium
in Ahmedabad. The two sides meet for the fourth time in the finals of ICC competitions, after the finals of the ICC Knockout Trophy (now known as the Champions Trophy) in 2000, the World Test Championship final in 2021 and, most recently, during the 2025 Champions Trophy.
This is the first time the two sides are meeting in the finals of the shortest format. Notably, India and New Zealand are two sides that have experience in the impacts of the reserve day.
In the semifinals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, play was stopped on the first day with the Kane Williamson-led side at 211/5 with 23 balls of their innings left to go. A washout in Manchester meant the reserve day was used to complete the game. New Zealand completed their innings at 239/8 before bowling India out for 211, despite heroics from MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja.
The 2021 World Test Championship final saw the reserve day again being used, with complete washouts on Day 1 and Day 4. Kyle Jamieson shone with the ball followed by Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson guiding the Kiwis home with a gritty partnership on the final day.
Does the India versus New Zealand final have a reserve day this time too?
Because cricket is a game that is heavily dependent on weather conditions, accommodations need to be made for rain delays, washouts and other such delays. Keeping this in mind one of the most prominent questions remains whether there will be a reserve day for the final of the T20 World Cup.
The answer is YES. The final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, to be held on March 08 between India and New Zealand, indeed has a reserve day on Monday, March 09.
According to the tournament's playing conditions, the play can be extended on the original day to a maximum of 120 minutes from the expected end time, and a minimum of 10 overs must be completed by each side to constitute a result. The match officials will try their level best to finish the final on the original day itself.
Play will carry over to the reserve day from the point where the match was stopped on the previous day. There will be no restart on the reserve day. If no ball is bowled, the entire match is played on the reserve day.
Finn Allen’s blistering century off just 33 balls helped the Mitchell Santner-led side overcome tournament favourites South Africa, while the Men in Blue thumped the Three Lions in a thrilling second semifinal in Mumbai, defending a mammoth 253/7 and winning by a mere seven runs in a humdinger of a contest that went to the last over.
