Ahmedabad, March 8 (IANS) Legendary cricketers MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma brought out the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy together ahead of the final between India and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

The sight of the duo bringing out the glittering silverware generated a thunderous roar in delight from the packed crowd. Dhoni, who captained India to the title in the inaugural 2007 edition, joined Rohit, who led the team to winning the trophy in 2024.

Apart from Dhoni and Rohit, the ambassador for the ongoing tournament, ICC chairman Jay Shah and JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar also came out with the trophy which was placed on the pedestal before both India and New Zealand came out for the national anthems.

Legendary playback singer Kavitha Krishnamurthy delivered a soaring rendition of the Indian national anthem. Coming to the match, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl against defending champions India.

The Blackcaps also made one change by drafting in pacer Jacob Duffy in place of off-spin bowling all-rounder Cole McConchie. India named an unchanged side from their seven-run semi-final victory over England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The pre-final closing ceremony featured global pop star Ricky Martin, who performed for the capacity crowd ahead of the final. Martin opened with his hit “Livin’ la Vida Loca” before closing with “María” and “La Copa de la Vida,” drawing a vociferous response from the crowd.

Indian artists Sukhbir Singh and Falguni Pathak also performed during the closing ceremony. Sukhbir delivered his popular Punjabi tracks including “Oh Ho Ho Ho”, while Falguni, dubbed the Dandiya Queen, performed a medley of Gujarati folk music and Bollywood songs.

The final marks the culmination of a 20-team tournament that has seen India cruise through the knockout rounds after suffering a 76-run loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad. New Zealand, who have never previously won a Men’s T20 World Cup, are appearing in their second final.

–IANS

nr/