India extended their winning streak at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a 17-run victory over Netherlands in their final group stage match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.
Set to chase a daunting target of 194 runs, Holland could accumulate 176/7 in their 20 overs despite a valiant effort from their batting unit.
All-rounder Bas de Leede remained top scorer with a 23-ball 33, followed by middle-order batsmen Zach Lion-Cachet and Noah Croes, who made 26 and 25 not out.
In addition to them, Michael Levitt (24), Colin Ackermann (23) and Max O’Dowd (20) also scored in the twenties, but their efforts were insufficient to pull off victory for the Netherlands.
Varun Chakravarthy spearheaded India’s bowling attack with economy figures of 3/14 in his three overs, followed by Dube with two wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with one scalp each.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to bat first paid off as the defending champions amassed 193/6 in their 20 overs.
However, the home side had a contrasting start to their innings as top-ranked batsman Abhishek Sharma again shot a duck and fell victim to Aryan Dutt.
After the early peck, out-of-form opener Ishan Kishan put together a 39-run partnership for the second wicket with Tilak Varma until Dutt struck again, dismissing the former, who made a seven-ball 18 with the help of two fours and a six.
Varma was then involved in another crucial partnership for India – a 30-run stand for the third wicket with captain Yadav – and walked back in the ninth over after scoring an anchoring 31 off 27 deliveries.
With the scoreboard reading 69/3 in nine overs, Dube walked out to bat at No. 5 and steered India into a commanding position with a blistering half-century.
Dube top-scored for the Men in Blue with a 31-ball 66 studded with six sixes and four fours and was adequately supported by captain Yadav and fellow player Hardik Pandya who made a healthy 34 and 30 respectively.
For Holland, Logan van Beek picked up three wickets but it was costly as he conceded 56 runs in his four overs. Besides him, Dutt got two wickets while Kyle Klein made a scalp.
The 17-run victory marked India’s fourth in a row in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 and ensured that the defending champions entered the Super Eights with a dominant momentum.
