New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has openly embraced the 'underdog' tag heading into T20 World Cup 2026 final against India. Speaking ahead of the clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8, Santner acknowledged the challenge of facing the hosts on their home turf. However, he made it clear that the Black Caps are prepared to play the role of the 'bad guys', drawing inspiration from Pat Cummins and the Australian side that famously silenced the Indian crowd during the 2023 50-over World Cup final.
Do you want to be bad guys who break a billion hearts? Reporter's question to Santner
The weight of history is a significant backdrop for this encounter, as New Zealand seeks to break a frustrating streak in ICC white-ball events. Since 2019, the Kiwis have reached three major finals, the 2019 ODI World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy, only to fall short on every occasion. This final represents a critical opportunity for the team to finally cross the finish line and secure a long-awaited trophy.
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During the pre-match press conference, the narrative of past failures was brought to the forefront when a reporter questioned whether the team possessed the necessary ruthlessness to overcome their nice guy image. Santner was asked directly if his squad could handle the pressure of silencing a stadium capable of hosting over 1.3 lakh spectators. His response underscored a steely resolve to ignore the noise and focus on ending their run of silver medals by defeating the favorites in their own backyard.
“This will be New Zealand's fifth final appearance at an ICC white ball event in the last 11 years. On one hand, that is a testament to how impeccably consistent the team has been over the last decade. But then none of those previous four appearances culminated in a silverware. Do you want to be, tomorrow, a bunch of bad guys who break a billion hearts, rather than win?” Santner was asked by a journalist.
I wouldn't mind winning a trophy: Mitchell Santner
Responding to the reporter's challenge, Santner admitted that he has no qualms about his team playing the role of the 'villains' if it means finally lifting an ICC trophy. He emphasised that the Black Caps' primary objective is to spoil the party for the home fans, embracing the opportunity to be the 'bad guys' who disrupt India's championship celebrations on their own turf.
“I wouldn't mind winning a trophy. You look at this group and the groups that have been in the past, we are pretty consistent on these because we try not to get overawed by the situation or opponents. We go out there and do our thing. And as a unit, it's been no different this time. And again, it's going to be obviously a challenge where everyone knows we're probably not the favourites. But we don't mind,” Santner said in his reply.
“We know we can, if we do our little things well and put in a strong team performance, put us in a pretty good position to hopefully lift the trophy. I wouldn't mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” he concluded.