New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has challenged the Blackcaps supporters at home ahead of Sunday’s T20 World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad. New Zealand will head into the competition aiming to win their first T20 World Cup title. This is the fifth ICC white-ball final the Blackcaps have reached since 2015, without winning one.
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With the Narendra Modi Stadium crowd expected to be one-sided, Santner decided to send a message to the fans back home on Sunday. When contacted by X, the New Zealand skipper said the team will be well supported in Ahmedabad but said he was confident the fans would have their backs during the match.
“This is KIA ORA AOTEAROA BLACKCAPS captain Mitch Santner. Sorry to bother you on Sunday. Now I’m not really one for big speeches or rallying cries. But I wanted to remind you all about our ICC T20 World Cup final against India on Monday morning (2.30am NZT).”
“It’s fair to say we’re a bit outnumbered here – 1.4 billion fans of Team India and all. And I’m pretty sure most of the 130,000 seats at the Narendra Modi Stadium will be rooting for them too. But that’s all good – because we know you’ll have our backs at home,” Santner said.
By the time the final in Ahmedabad starts, it will be 2.30am in New Zealand on Monday. Santner said he understood it would be difficult for the fans, but told them to go around the team one more time. The New Zealand captain also said fans can tell their bosses and teachers to excuse them for being late to work and school by saying his name.
“Even though you’re not with us—we see the photos, the posts, we hear the stories, and we know about the late nights and early starts. We feel your aroha. We get it—the finals are super early on Monday morning. But set your alarm and come around us one more time. And if you’re a little late for work or school, please pass my message on to your boss or teachers—some extra luggage.” Santner.
NEW ZEALAND TO SILENCE AHMEDABAD
Speaking ahead of the game in Ahmedabad, Santner said New Zealand would try to silence the crowd inside the Narendra Modi Stadium in pursuit of a degree.
“Yes, I think that’s the aim. To silence the crowd, but I think there are a lot of variables in T20 cricket and it’s fickle at times. And throughout the World Cup we’ve seen a lot of teams on similar pages and in every game it turns into some little moments that change the result,” Santner said.
New Zealand have a 3-0 lead in T20 World Cup matches against India and will be optimistic after their semi-final performance against South Africa.
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Published on:
March 8, 2026 08:55 IST
