Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin picked New Zealand to upset Team India in the T20 World Cup 2026 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. Haddin also believes Kiwi opener Finn Allen will be the key for them to ruin India’s party on home soil.
Allen stunned the South Africans in the semifinal with a breathtaking 100* off 33 deliveries, helping New Zealand reach their second T20 World Cup final. Meanwhile, the Men in Blue faced a stiffer challenge in their semifinal against England, winning by seven runs in a high-scoring thriller.
Looking ahead to the grand finale between India and New Zealand, Haddin said on the Willow Talk Cricket Podcast (30:03):
“If he (Finn Allen) gets going in the final, he is one player who can ruin India’s party on their home soil. If I was India coming into the tournament, the one team I wouldn’t have wanted to play in the final is New Zealand.”
He added:
“New Zealand don’t fear India in home conditions. They’ve beaten them in a Test series here. So if they can go in with that mindset and Fin Allen can play with that freedom as he has, they can put some real pressure on India. I am going with New Zealand.”
New Zealand whitewashed India 3-0 in the Test series in India in 2024 and triumphed 2-1 in the ODI series in India at the start of this year. However, the Men in Blue demolished the Kiwis in the T20I series that followed the ODIs 4-1.
“I am going to go with New Zealand in the final” – Nathan Lyon
Legendary Australian spinner Nathan Lyon also picked New Zealand to upstage India in the T20 World Cup 2026 final. While India are gunning for a record third T20 World Cup title, the Kiwis will look to capture a maiden title.
Lyon called New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner the key to the contest, saying (via the aforementioned source):
“I am going to go with New Zealand in the final. The biggest key for India is the way they play Mitchell Santner. He is the captain on the side and has been very economical, especially on these pitches.
Santner has picked up only two wickets in seven matches in the tournament but boasts an incredible economy of 6.33.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
