India news: India crush New Zealand in T20 final

We are closing these updates, but we will be back in the morning for more from our Delhi bureau.

See you then!

India became the first side to win the men's Twenty20 World Cup for a third time with a comprehensive victory over New Zealand in the final on Sunday night.

Around 100,000 mostly Indian supporters witnessed the one-sided match at the Narendra Modi Stadium — the world's largest cricket ground.

While the game was low on drama, the final still delighted the home fans as hosts India comfortably secured a 96-run win to retain their title.

India were in the driving seat throughout Sunday's final, with its opening three batters each notching half-centuries en route to a stomping 255-5 win.

Opener Sanju Samson kept up his scorching form at the tournament, registering his third consecutive score of 80-plus runs. Samson bagged the player-of-the-tournament award in the process.

We'll be back with the results of the final game!

The news cycle in New Delhi has slowed at the moment as we enjoy our Sunday cup of chai, or tea. But it's only a couple of hours to go before the India v New Zealand T20 final begins. 

Meanwhile, happy International Women's Day, and here is DW's coverage of thousands marching for women's rights in Berlin: 

Indian President Droupadi Murmu is locked in a rare political row with the chief minister of the eastern state of West Bengal ahead of state elections that could see Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party extend its influence in the region. 

The dispute began when Murmu visited the state to attend the International Santal Conference. The Santal are India's third-largest tribal community, according to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute. Murmu is the first president in India from the tribe, which is officially recognized as a disadvantaged group.

In her speech at the conference, Murmu said, "I think someone was stopping them (Santal people) from coming here. On my way here, from what I saw, is this a gathering for the International Santal Conference? I don't think so. Someone does not want the Santal community to unite," implying the state's chief minister without naming her. 

But politicians from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party were more direct. They alleged a lack of basic facilities and a last-minute venue change, according to local media. 

Referring to West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), Modi said, "the TMC Government of West Bengal has truly crossed all limits. Their administration is responsible for this insult to the President." 

Murmu's comments mark a rare public rebuke from India's president toward an elected government. In India, the president, a ceremonial constitutional head, is expected to remain above internal politics. 

BJP politicians argued that the seriousness of the humiliation forced the president to speak out.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the lapse was on part of the International Santal Council which organized the event, not the district administration. "BJP is disrespecting and misusing the highest chair in the country for its own party agenda. Most unfortunate," she wrote in a social media post on X. 

West Bengal is due for state elections in April-May and remains one of the few states where Modi's BJP has not secured a victory. With the upcoming polls, politics in West Bengal is only likely to get more heated. 

The auspicious Nadaswaram, an instrument played around the world, has traditionally been prepared in Narasinghampet in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu for over a hundred years. Four families from this small village have given it life, supporting many families.

DW's team in Chennai reports in the regional Tamil language: 

India's northwest and southeast regions are experiencing an unusually hot start to March, with day and night temperatures recorded at 6 to12 degrees Celsius above normal. 

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heat wave conditions in isolated pockets over the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh and the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. 

New Delhi recorded a maximum of 35.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, which is the highest recorded temperature in the first week of March in 15 years, IMD official Akhil Srivastava told DW.

The national capital is expected to see maximum temperatures between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius through next week.

Srivastava said the above-normal heat was due to the lack of cloud cover over these regions. 

However, the highest temperature was recorded in Amravati, a city in the western state of Maharashtra, which is prone to acute droughts every year. 

The weather agency expects most of the country to continue facing above-normal heat for the summer months of March to May.

More than 52,000 Indians have returned to the country from the Gulf region over the last week, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, while it continues to monitor the conflict in the Middle East. 

"Following the partial opening of the airspace across the region in the last few days, Indian and foreign airlines are operating commercial flights, including non-scheduled flights, to enable the return of Indian passengers who were in Transit or on short-term visas," the statement said, adding that more flights are planned in the coming days. 

The ministry advised Indians in Gulf countries where commercial flights are unavailable contact their local embassy for information.

The Indian government "remains engaged with the governments across the region to work towards facilitating all those in need of assistance," it said.

Earlier this week, some Indians stranded in Dubai told DW that the Indian embassy had directed them to available commercial flights, information they said was also available online.

One young Indian couple, who finally returned to India on Saturday, said they managed to get on a flight after days of calling commercial airlines directly.

Defending champion and co-host India will play New Zealand later today in Ahmedabad, hoping to lift the T20 World Cup trophy for the third time. 

The match will begin at 7pm IST (13:30 GMT) at India's largest stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium. It can hold over 130,000 fans, some of whom have traveled across the country to witness the action. Hundreds of millions more are expected to tun in on television. 

For the Indian cricket team, expectations are sky high. 

"There will definitely be pressure and nerves, especially playing in India and going for the title," said Suryakumar Yadav, captain of the Indian team, after the team's nerve-shredding seven-run win over England in the semifinal. "But the boys and the whole support staff are excited as well," he said.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted snapshots of Team India's final practice before the big night. 

India had to win three consecutive knockouts to reach the final after suffering a massive defeat to South Africa earlier in the tournament.

But for India and its fans, there's added pressure. 

The match in Ahmedabad brings back memories for millions of a Cricket World Cup final lost to Australia two years ago. 

After India's win over England in the semifinal game, social media was flooded with reels of fans recalling the heartbreak.

It remains to be seen if the cricket team can redeem that loss and heal that heartbreak for Indian fans.

Good morning! Welcome to DW's India blog — where we round up the day's biggest headlines from across the country.

Today, cricket fans are keenly awaiting the T20 World Cup final where the Indian team will face New Zealand for the trophy. In New Delhi and other cities, friends and families are making plans to watch the finals together and (hopefully) celebrate after. 

Meanwhile, we're coming straight off the Raisina Dialogue 2026, which ended on Saturday.

On the last day of the geopolitical forum, India's Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar confirmed that an Iranian warship, the IRIS Lavan, had been docked in the sourthern port city of Kochi since earlier this week.

He said the vessel asked to dock due to technical issues and India granted it permission on March 1, even amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Stick with us as we break down the day's news for you.