Ishan Kishan’s cousin and brother-in-law died two days before the final

Indian top-order batter Ishan Kishan, who played a crucial role in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 title win, played through the immense grief of a personal tragedy in the grand finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.

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According to a report published in The Times of India, Kishan’s cousin and brother-in-law had passed away in a car accident on Friday, a couple of days before the final. Kishan’s father, Pranav Pandey, has revealed that the batter wanted to join the family, but he couldn’t due to his World Cup duty. 

"Anarth ho gaya. Hum log bahut badi musibat mein hain (Something terrible has happened. We are in a very big problem)," Kishan's father told Times of India ahead of the final.

"We are all in shock. Ishan wanted to visit us, but he couldn't return because of the final. He is absolutely distraught," he further said.

Despite the immense grief, Kishan looked in exceptional touch in the final, scoring an impressive 54-run knock off 25 balls with four fours and as many sixes to keep India on top of the game after losing the toss.

Kishan ended the tournament as the second-leading run-scorer for the Indian team, scoring 317 runs from nine innings at an average of 35.22 and a strike rate of 193.29 with 33 fours and 18 sixes.

Delving into the details of the final, India batted first after losing the toss and posted a daunting total of 255/5 in 20 overs, courtesy of Sanju Samson's 89, Abhishek Sharma's 52, and Ishan Kishan's 54. James Neesham pocketed a three-wicket haul for NZ.

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In the chase, New Zealand got all out for 159 runs in 19 overs, losing the game by 96 runs. Tim Seifert was the top scorer with 52 runs in 26 balls. Jasprit Bumrah picked up a four-wicket haul while Axar Patel pocketed three wickets.

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