![ICC announces match officials for T20 World Cup final [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1772796018208_ICCannouncesmatchofficialsforT20WorldCupfinal.jpg?type=hq)
ICC announces match officials for T20 World Cup final [Source: AFP]
After 54 gruelling matches, the two finalists of the T20 World Cup 2026 have been decided, with India taking on New Zealand in a repeat of the Champions Trophy finals. The big match will be played on Sunday at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, as history awaits both the finalists.
If India wins the tournament, they’ll become the first side to win the competition thrice, and will also become the first host nation to win the T20 World Cup. On the other hand, the Kiwis will taste the success for the first time if they manage to beat India on Sunday.
Match referee decided for the grand finale, Pakistan's enemy in
English duo of Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf will be the two umpires for the finale between India and New Zealand on Sunday, and Andy Pycroft, who was at the centre of controversy during the Asia Cup 2025 will be the match referee for the mega contest.
Pycroft became Pakistan’s biggest enemy after the PCB filed an official complaint against him during the Asia Cup for not maintaining the Code of Conduct. The PCB also demanded that he be removed from future Pakistan matches, and the matter escalated quickly during last year’s event.
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ICC's press release on T20 World Cup match officials
English pair Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf will be in the middle for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
Illingworth will take charge of his second consecutive Men’s T20 World Cup Final, having stood alongside Chris Gaffaney in 2024.
It continues Illingworth's impressive recent record of appointments, having also stood in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final and the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 Final.
He is joined by compatriot Wharf, who will oversee his first senior ICC World Cup Final.
Wharf previously stood at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 events before he joined the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires last year.
The pair, who were together in the middle for New Zealand’s semi-final victory over South Africa on Wednesday, are supported by third umpire Allahuddien Paleker and fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock, while the match referee is Andy Pycroft.
South African Paleker was elevated to the Elite Panel of Umpires alongside Wharf in March 2025 and has stood in six matches during the tournament.
How India and New Zealand made it to the finals of T20 World Cup
India were placed in the group alongside Pakistan, the Netherlands, Namibia, and the USA. The team struggled against the USA, but they overcame the other three teams with relative ease to book their place in the Super 8s.
The team suffered its first defeat of the tournament against South Africa, but it was followed by three back-to-back wins against Zimbabwe, West Indies, and England as the team reached the finals.
On the other hand, New Zealand defeated Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE in the group stage, but they lost against South Africa. In the Super 8 stage, their match against Pakistan was abandoned, and they lost against England. However, a win over Sri Lanka was enough to reach the knockouts, where they decimated South Africa to enter the T20 World Cup final.
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