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Arshdeep Singh says sorry to Daryl Mitchell for on-field spat after India thrash New Zealand to win T20 World Cup crown
Daryl Mitchell's anger flared after Arshdeep's unnecessary throw during the T20 WC 2026 final. India captain Suryakumar Yadav intervened, calming the situation.
For much of New Zealand’s innings, the T20 World Cup 2026 final had carried the feel of a contest balanced on nerve as much as skill. India had kept striking at key moments, but with Daryl Mitchell still there and New Zealand trying to rebuild at 103 for 5 after 11 overs, the match remained alive enough for every ball to carry a little extra edge.
That edge spilt over briefly in Ahmedabad when Arshdeep Singh and Mitchell got involved in a tense exchange that changed the tone of the evening for a few moments.
The incident came in the 11th over. Arshdeep delivered a full, wide ball outside off stump, and Mitchell shuffled across before swatting it back towards the bowler. In his follow-through, Arshdeep gathered the ball and had a shy at the striker’s end. The throw, however, was well wide of the stumps and struck Mitchell high on the right thigh.
Daryl Mitchell was immediately furious. He walked straight towards Arshdeep, clearly unhappy with what he saw as an unnecessary act in the middle of a World Cup final. For a few seconds, the temperature of the contest rose sharply. These are the moments that can push a game away from pure cricket and into confrontation, especially when the stakes are this high and every run, gesture and reaction feels magnified.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav responded quickly. He walked over to Mitchell for a calming word, while umpire Richard Illingworth also stepped in to speak to Arshdeep. That intervention helped prevent the incident from escalating further, and the match moved on after what had suddenly become one of the most emotionally charged passages of the final.
What followed mattered just as much as the flare-up itself. At the end of the over, Arshdeep went up to Mitchell to apologise, a gesture that helped draw a line under the episode. The two were seen settling matters, and the tension that had briefly gripped the middle eased.
Even after the match, the Indian pacer went on and sorted out the matter with the Kiwi all-rounder. During the post-match chat with Harsha Bhogle, he said that he went to apologise to Mitchell. Arshdeep explained that he had meant to throw the ball at the stumps and the hit at the batter was totally unintentional.
In a final played under immense pressure, this was a reminder of how thin the line can be between aggression and excess. Arshdeep crossed it for a moment with a needless throw, but his apology ensured the incident ended not as a lasting controversy, but as a brief flashpoint resolved before it could leave a deeper mark on the night.
