Proud Santner looks ahead as New Zealand plan for next step

The T20 World Cup 2026 final was OVER, and India won by 96 runs. But New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner is NOT crying. He is PROUD of his team and already PLANNING for the next World Cups. Let me tell you what he said after the match.

What Happened in the Final?

On Sunday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad (132,000 seats), India played New Zealand in the final. India batted first and scored 255 runs for 5 wickets. That’s the HIGHEST score in T20 World Cup final history.

Sanju Samson smashed 89 runs from 46 balls with 8 sixes.

Abhishek Sharma scored 52 from 21 balls with 5 sixes.

Ishan Kishan made 45 from 32 balls.

New Zealand bowlers tried hard – Lockie Ferguson took 2 wickets, Matt Henry took 2 wickets – but 255 was TOO BIG.

Then New Zealand batted and started BADLY. They lost 3 wickets for 40 runs in Powerplay. Rachin Ravindra scored 45, Glenn Phillips made 38, but they never got close. All out for 159 in 18.2 overs. India won by 96 runs.

What Santner Said After the Match?

Mitchell Santner is SUCH a good captain. Even after losing the big final, he was GRACEFUL and POSITIVE.

On India’s Performance:

“India in a final is always going to be a challenge. We knew we were the underdogs going into the game. And they showed their class again tonight, with that batting performance.”

That’s TRUE. India played AMAZING cricket.

On Key Moment of Match:

“And then, everything kind of has to go well when you’re chasing 250. And losing the wickets in the Powerplay is always a challenge. I think that was the tale of the day, was the two power plays. I think we were 3 for 40 odd and they were 90 odd for none.”

See? India scored 90 in Powerplay, NZ scored 40. That’s where the match was WON and LOST.

On Being Proud of Team:

“I think to make it to a final is obviously a pretty good effort from the boys and they should be very proud of their efforts throughout this tournament.”

Yes. NZ beat South Africa in the semi-final. They reached the final. That’s an AMAZING achievement.

On Playing in Front of 90,000 Indian Fans

Santner joked about the crowd.

“It was awesome to play in front of so many people tonight that obviously had a few blue shirts on and not many black shirts but again it’s always a great occasion and it’s always cool for us to play in front of so many people.”

“Few blue shirts” Actually it was 89,990 blue shirts and maybe 10 black shirts. Indian fans are LOUD.

Thanking Fans Back Home

Santner sent a special message to New Zealand fans

“It’s thanks to the fans back home for following us. I might have to go to work obviously without a trophy today but we’ve obviously great support back home and we get great support here as well.”

“I might have to go to work without a trophy” – that’s SAD but FUNNY. He’s taking a loss well.

Looking Ahead to Future World Cups

Now Santner is already PLANNING for the next tournaments.

2027 ODI World Cup (South Africa/Zimbabwe/Namibia):

“And then I guess the next kind of major event one day is in South Africa, like you said, it’s going to play slightly differently to what we expect here.”

The ODI World Cup starts Feb 2027. NZ will prepare for African conditions.

2028 T20 World Cup (Australia & New Zealand – CO-HOSTS.):

“And then our next T20 World Cup is in Australia and New Zealand, so it’ll be nice to get a few fans and the crowd there in familiar conditions.”

Imagine. T20 World Cup 2028 in NEW ZEALAND. They will have a HOME crowd. Maybe FINALLY they win.

Santner said winning World Cup at home is HARDEST thing:

“That’s one of the hardest things is to win a World Cup in your country. So for India to do that, this obviously comes with a lot of added pressure, home fans. So for them to win this trophy tonight, they should be very proud of that.”

He gave CREDIT to India. Classy captain.

What Other NZ Players Said?

Kane Williamson (not playing in this WC) tweeted: “So proud of this team. Making finals is a huge achievement. Next time boys”.

Tim Southee (retired) said: “Santner captained brilliantly throughout. The future is bright for Black Caps.”

Rachin Ravindra (young star) posted: “Learning so much from this campaign. We’ll be back stronger.”

New Zealand’s Tournament Journey

Match Result

vs Afghanistan (Group) WON by 5 wickets
vs UAE (Group) WON by 10 wickets
vs South Africa (Group) Loss by 7 wickets
vs Canada (Group) WON by 8 wickets
vs Sri Lanka (Super 8) WON by 61 runs

vs England (Super 8) Lost by 4 wickets

vs Pakistan (Super 8) WASHED OUT

vs South Africa (Semi-Final) WON by 9 wickets

vs India (FINAL) LOST by 96 runs.
They won 5 matches, lost 2, 1 washout. Reached final. That’s SUCCESS.

Records NZ Set in Tournament

Finn Allen: Fastest century in T20 World Cup history (33 balls vs SA in semi)
Tim Seifert: 326 runs in the tournament
Rachin Ravindra: 12 wickets + 129 runs – best all-rounder for NZ

My Thoughts

You know what I think? New Zealand is the NICEST cricket team. They never complain, never make excuses, always praise opponents, and just PLAY CRICKET.

Santner is such a GOOD captain. At 34 years old, he led the team to the final with calmness and class.

Yes they lost the final. Yes India was too strong. But NZ will come back. In the 2027 ODI World Cup, in the 2028 T20 World Cup at HOME, they will try again.

I love the New Zealand team. They are like the friendly neighbor who always brings cookies.

Final Message from Santner:

“I guess it’s not ideal, losing semis and finals, but like I said the other day, you get to this situation, you’re coming up against teams that are also playing very good cricket.”

That means – to be BEST, you must beat BEST. NZ will work harder and come back.

Good luck Black Caps. See you in 2027 and 2028.