IND vs NZ: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma power India to Highest Powerplay Score in T20 World Cup

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India's explosive start has set the tone in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to field first, handing India the chance to post a big total on a batting-friendly pitch under lights.

The Indian openers, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, have delivered a blistering powerplay. India have so far scored 92 runs without loss in the first six overs, thus scoring at a break neck speed.

Abhishek Sharma, despite entering the tournament under scrutiny for his form slump, has exploded into life. Sharma got to his half-century in just 18 balls and started in stellar fashion.

He started with aggressive boundaries and towering sixes, including a massive straight six off Jacob Duffy and a four in the same over. His intent has shifted gears after a relatively watchful initial phase, punishing the New Zealand pacers and turning the pressure back on the fielding side.

Complementing him perfectly, Sanju Samson, who is unbeaten on 33 off 17 balls. The right-hander has mixed elegant drives with powerful sixes, anchoring the innings while maintaining a high strike rate. Together, the left-right combination has disrupted New Zealand's bowling plans, with pacers like Matt Henry leaking runs early and Lockie Ferguson struggling for control.

Highest Powerplay Score in T20 World Cup

With the score, India have now equalled the record for the highest powerplay score in a T20 World Cup, as they scored 92 runs. The Indian duo have now also scored the most in the first six overs in this edition of the T20 World Cup.

92/0 - India vs New Zealand (2026)
92/1 - West Indies vs Afghanistan (2024)
91/1 - Netherlands vs Ireland (2014)
89/3 - England vs South Africa (2016)
86/1 - India vs Namibia (2026)
84/0 - New Zealand vs South Africa (2026)
83/0 - South Africa vs England (2016)
83/0 - West Indies vs Australia (2009)
83/1 - South Africa vs New Zealand (2026)