Jasprit Bumrah: The greatest T20 World Cup bowler ever?

At his home venue at Ahmedabad, Bumrah continued to make the entire India, the world and New Zealand batters bow down to his greatness as a four-wicket haul from him, along with three-wicket haul from Axar Patel did not keep New Zealand in contention at all during the gigantic 256 run chase as they crumbled under the pressure of scoreboard pressure, losing by 96 runs.

Now Team India has secured their second T20WC title in a row and overall third. They are also the first team to win the title as host nation and successfully defend it. 'Jassi Bhai' has had a massive role to play in India's success, ending as the tournament's joint-highest wicket-taker with Varun Chakravarthy, taking 14 scalps at an average of 12.42 and an economy rate of 6.21, with a four-fer to his name.

He has become the first-ever pacer to have a T20WC knockout four-fer, joining spinners Ajantha Mendis (4/12 against West Indies in the 2012 final) and Shadab Khan (4/26 in the 2021 semifinal against Australia) as the third overall bowler to do so.

Bumrah is now the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the T20WC with 40 scalps in 26 matches at an average of 13.65 and an economy rate of 5.66, with a four-fer to his name. He is also the most successful pacer in the tournament's history, with 40 wickets, overcoming Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga (38 wickets in 31 matches at an average of 20.07).

Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, with 50 wickets in 43 matches, is the leading T20 World Cup wicket-taker.

However, Bumrah could easily qualify as the tournament's best bowler ever, having won the trophy twice. Back in 2024 win, he ended as the 'Player of the Tournament' with 15 wickets in eight matches at an average of 8.26. Now in 2026, he has ended on the top of the wicket-taking charts and has earned a 'Player of the Match' title in the final.

Coming to the match, NZ won the toss and elected to field first. However, a return-to-form, record-breaking fifty from Abhishek Sharma (52 in 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and his 98-run stand with Samson made NZ regret the decision. Later, Samson stitched a century stand with Ishan Kishan (54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) to take India past the 200-run mark in the 16th over. After a brief slowdown, Shivam Dube (26* in eight balls, with three fours and two sixes) made some valuable runs to take India to 255/5, the highest total in T20WC finals.

James Neesham (3/46) was the leading wicket-taker for NZ.

In the run-chase of 256 runs, Axar Patel (3/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (4/15) reduced the Kiwis to 72/5, despite a half-century from Tim Seifert (52 in 26 balls, with two fours and five sixes). Despite a brief partnership between Daryl Mitchell (17) and skipper Mitchell Santner (43 in 35 balls, with three fours and two sixes), India kept chipping in with wickets, and the Kiwis were bundled out for just 159 runs. (ANI)