Shivam Dube’s mistake didn’t prove costly for India as Axar Patel managed to dismiss Finn Allen in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Allen was on zero when he tried to take on Arshdeep Singh in the first over of the 256-run chase, but the mistimed shot went high in the air, with Dube having all the time in the world to complete a catch.
However, the all-rounder was unable to complete the task. It looked like the opener would put India under pressure after a let-off, considering his 33-ball hundred in the semi-final against South Africa.
Sensing the danger and 21-run over by Hardik Pandya, captain Suryakumar Yadav gave over to his deputy Axar, who is also called the team’s MVP in the shortest format of the game.
Allen hit the third ball of the third over for a boundary and tried to repeat the same outcome on the next delivery. The connection was not as good as he would have liked, and Tilak Varma took a good catch in the long-on region. Allen scored 9 runs off 7 balls, with the help of one boundary.
Looking for another wicket, SKY brought his most trusted bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, into the attack. The veteran pacer got rid of Rachin Ravindra on the first delivery of the fourth over, with Ishan Kishan completing a brilliant catch.
Axar was not done yet and added another scalp in the form of Glenn Phillips, with the Kiwis struggling at 52 for 3 in 6 overs.
Earlier, India managed 255/5, with Sanju Samson (89), Ishan Kishan (54) and Abhishek Sharma (52) dominating the bowlers.