India extended their winning streak in 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 were able to amass 176/7 in their 20 overs despite a valiant effort from their batting unit.
All-rounder Bas de Leede remained the 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 20s, but their efforts were insufficient to achieve victory for the Netherlands.
Varun Chakravarthy led the Indian bowling charge with economy figures of 3/14 in his three overs, followed by Dube with two wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah contributed a scalp each.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to bat first paid off as the defending champions piled up 193/6 in their 20 overs.
The home team, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as top-ranked batsman Abhishek Sharma once again got a duck, falling victim to Aryan Dutt.
After the initial stutter, in-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 then participated in another crucial partnership for India – a 30-run stand for the third wicket with captain Yadav – and returned in the ninth over after scoring 31 off 27 deliveries.
With the score reading 69/3 in nine overs, Dube came out to bat at number 5 and took India to 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 well supported by captain Yadav and fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who scored 34 and 30 respectively.
For Holland, Logan van Beek got three wickets, but it cost him dearly as he conceded 56 runs in his four overs. Apart from him, Dutt bagged two wickets, while Kyle Klein took a scalp.
The 17-run victory marked India’s fourth in a row in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 and ensured the defending champions entered the Super Eight with dominant momentum.
