Team India won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, after beating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue became the first side to win the competition in two back-to-back editions. They also became the first nation to win the tournament at home and won the title three times.
The celebrations have not been stopped as the cricketers are getting a grand welcome as they return to their homes. Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav were spotted visiting a mandir in Mumbai after the T20 World Cup win. There was a victory parade organised as well in Mumbai. Gambhir’s record of not losing an ICC knockout game remained perfect.
India’s unique World Cup connection
However, there has been an interesting thing connected to India’s success in winning the ICC World Cup trophy over the years. Since 1983 India’s first World Cup win, till the 2026 T20 World Cup, one Punjab-born cricketer and another Kerala-born cricketer have been in the squad every time the Men in Blue won the World Cups.
Your daily dose of cricket!
In 1983, Sunil Valson and Balwinder Singh Sandu were present on the side; in 2011, it was Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth who were present. In the 2024 edition, Sanju Samson and Arshdeep Singh were present in the squad, and in this edition, Samson and Arshdeep were also present in the squad.
If there is Mallu in the Indian team, we will win the ICC Trophy- Varun Chakravarthy
During the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Naman Awards, Varun Chakravarthy took a funny dig at this unique connection. He said, “There was a meme going on, if there is Mallu in the Indian team, we will win the ICC Trophy so it was a master stroke to bring Sanju in the 11”.
Varun Chakravarthy said “There was a meme going on, if there is Mallu in the Indian team, we will win the ICC Trophy so it was a master stroke to bring Sanju in the 11”. pic.twitter.com/lVFNM3P821
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 15, 2026
Sanju Samson was excellent throughout the tournament. The wicket-keeper batter was the Player of the Tournament for his phenomenal run in the tournament. He was not part of the playing XI during the initial match; he was in and out due to Abhishek Sharma’s stomach bug. After India’s loss to South Africa, Samson was brought back into the side.
Sanju Samson is the hero for India’s success
After that, Sanju Samson never turned back, scoring three back-to-back fifties in India’s most crucial games, scoring 97* against the West Indies in a must win SUper 8 game, 89 in the semi-final against England, and 89 in the final against New Zealand. Sanju finished off the campaign as the leading run getter for India with 321 runs, with an average of 80.25.
After scoring 321 runs, he also became the first batter to go past Virat Kohli’s most runs (314) in a T20 World Cup edition. Sanju will next be seen during the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Varun Chakravarthy also had a brilliant T20 World Cup, picking up 14 wickets and was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament alongside Jasprit Bumrah. Chakravarthy and Bumrah will now be seen playing against each other for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians.
Also Read: Good news for KKR! Cameron Green returns to form with stunning ton