India vs New Zealand final match: Shock Changes Kuldeep Yadav & Mohammed Siraj Reshape Team India’s Playing XI

India’s Winning Strategy? Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj Join Squad for India vs New Zealand final match

The final showdown of the T20 World Cup will start today at 7 PM in which Team India has a 69% chance of winning and Kiwi team has only 31%. But if Team India has to retain its title then three changes should be made in the playing 11.

1. Opener Abhishek Sharma should be rested because his performance so far in this tournament is not special, his average score against all the big teams is 10 runs and he is currently unable to play off spin bowling.
2. Pacer Md should be replaced in place of Arshdeep Singh. Siraj should be given a chance, who plays for Gujarat Titans in the IPL at this ground and has a good record at this ground. He knows how to take wickets with the new ball.
3. Kuldeep Yadav should be given a chance in place of Varun Chakraborty, who has been kept out of the tournament so far. Anyway, the pitch in Ahmedabad is batting friendly and spinners have to struggle for wickets here, so Team India is suffering the loss of Varun Chakraborty’s out of form in every match.

Indian bowlers are conceding too many extra runs in every match. This could also lead to a draw in the India vs. New Zealand final match. Whichever team wins today will likely choose to bat first, as 180+ runs have never been chased here.

Mohammad Siraj stats

Mohammed Siraj was named as a replacement for the injured Harshit Rana in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, marking a surprise return to the T20I setup. He joined the team just before the tournament, canceling a planned trip to Spain. Siraj immediately made an impact in the opening match against the USA and taken 3 wickets.

Key Details of Siraj’s 2026 World Cup Involvement:

• Replacement: Replaced Harshit Rana, who suffered a knee injury on February 4, 2026, during a warm-up game.
• Initial Shock: Siraj was not initially in the squad and was planning a vacation when captain Suryakumar Yadav called him with the news.
• Form & Inclusion: Despite not playing T20Is since July 2024, he was selected based on his consistent performance in the IPL and the 2025/26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he took seven wickets in four games.
• Performance: He was described as a key bowler in India’s opening match win against the USA.

Siraj can be make trump card for Team India in todays India vs New Zealand final match.

Siraj T20 Stats

Kuldeep Yadav Stats

Kuldeep Yadav has played only one match in the 2026 T20 World Cup, taking 1/14 against Pakistan, but is heavily favored to replace Varun Chakaravarthy in the final against New Zealand on March 8, 2026. Despite limited opportunities in the tournament, he has a strong recent record with 57 wickets in his last 28 T20I innings. 

Key Details for 2026 T20 World Cup:

• Role: Left-arm wrist spinner.
• Performance: He played in the match against Pakistan on February 15, 2026, finishing with figures of 1/14 in three overs.
• Final Prospect: Due to Varun Chakaravarthy leaking runs, team management is considering replacing him with Kuldeep for the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
• Matchup: He is considered a strong middle-overs option against New Zealand, as few of their batsmen use their feet effectively against spin. 

Kuldeep has maintained a high-impact, low-economy rate in recent T20Is, making him a potential game-changer for the final

Kuldeep Yadav T20 Stats

Team India World cup records

India T20 World Cup record (knock out)

Fastest century in 20 World Cup

T20 world cup final Team batting record

Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad – T20 Record

India vs New Zealand Top Batters

Sanju Samson (India)- 4 match, 232 Run, 201.73 Stirke Rate, Best-97*

Ishan Kishan (India)- 8 match, 263 Run, 189.2 Stirke Rate, Best-77

Sanju Samson (India)- 8 match, 242 Run, 137.5 Stirke Rate, Best-84*

Fin Allen (New Zealand)- 8 match, 289 Run, 203.52 Stirke Rate, Best-100*

Tim Seifert (New Zealand)- 8 match, 274 Run, 161.17 Stirke Rate, Best-89*

Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)- 8 match, 176 Run, 160 Stirke Rate, Best-76*

India vs New Zealand Top Bowlers

Varun Chakravarty (India)- 8 match, 13 wickets, 8.85 Economy, Best-3/7

Jasprit Bumrah (India)- 8 match, 10 wickets, 6.62 Economy , Best-3/15

Hardik Pandya (India)- 8 match, 8 wickets, 8.79 Economy, Best-2/16

Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)- 8 match, 11 wickets, 6.88 Economy, Best-4/27

Matt Henry (New Zealand)- 8 match, 09 wickets, 7.59 Economy, Best-2/3

Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand)- 8 match, 06 wickets, 8.42 Economy, Best-2/40

India vs New Zealand Strenght and weakness

India Strength– Jasprit Bumrah proved to be a game-changer in bowling, while Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan proved to be game-changers in batting. All three players performed in positions where everyone else flopped. Apart from these, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, and Axar Patel are strengthening the team’s strength with their all-round performances.

India weakness-Varun Chakravarthy and Arshdeep Singh are proving to be very expensive, due to which the team is feeling the lack of a bowler. Abhishek Sharma and Surya, apart from scoring a fifty, have not been able to perform well and are also continuously dropping catches and misfielding. Both have a very poor strike rate.

New Zealand Strength-The opening pair of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert haven’t put much pressure on the rest of New Zealand’s batsmen. Henry maintains pressure with the new ball, while Ferguson doesn’t concede many runs in the middle and death overs. Santner and Nisham are finishing the innings well.

New Zealand weakness-The Kiwis’ middle order appeared weak, with Mitchell, Chapman, and Rachin Ravindra unable to maintain their scoring rate after Allen-Seifert and Phillips. The team has not scored 200+ runs in the tournament.