The final of the T20 World Cup 2024 between India and South Africa is just a few hours away. Kensington Oval Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados will witness this final. Both the teams have entered the final with a strong performance. With this final, it is certain that the long wait for the title of one of the teams will end.

Team India and South Africa have performed well in this World Cup and both the teams have not lost any match. Still, looking at the form, Team India is being considered a strong contender for the title, but the news that Team India has received just before the final is like an alarm bell and the fear of defeat has started haunting the hearts of Team India fans again.

Team India is a contender for victory

What is that reason, we will tell you later. First let's talk about both the teams reaching the final. South Africa had made it to the semi-finals by finishing first in Group-2 of Super-8.

Here this team, captained by Aiden Markram, defeated Afghanistan, which was performing well, by 9 wickets in a one-sided manner and entered the final for the first time. Team India also secured the first position in its group of Super-8 and then by defeating England by 68 runs in the semi-finals, not only made it to the final after 10 years but also took its revenge.

Now it is the turn of the final, which will be played on Saturday 29th July. Although both the teams have not lost any match, but the way Team India has won almost every match in a one-sided manner, the team captained by Rohit Sharma is considered stronger.

Now the decision of victory or defeat will be taken on the field and the team which plays better, which gets good luck, will win the title. It is here that Team India has received such a news which is like a bad sign for them. This news is about the umpires of the final, which was announced by the ICC on Friday.

Team India has lost 5 finals and 3 semi-finals

ICC said that the responsibility of on-field umpiring in the final match will be on the shoulders of Chris Gaffney (New Zealand) and Richard Illingworth (England), while the TV umpire will be Richard Kettleborough (England).

Now the reason for deploying these three umpires is their ability, and also none of them is associated with India or South Africa. The only problem is that whenever all three umpires, especially Kettleborough and Illingworth, have been given responsibility in any final match or knockout match of Team India, Team India has had to face defeat.

In the final of the World Test Championship last year, Gaffney and Illingworth were the on-field umpires, while Kettleborough was the TV umpire and Team India had to face defeat.

Then Kettleborough and Illingworth were the on-field umpires in the ODI World Cup final and India lost this final as well. Kettleborough and Illingworth were also among the three umpires in the final of the Test Championship 2021 against New Zealand and the Indian team lost that match as well. Who can forget the 2019 World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand and here too both these umpires from England were on the field. Even in the 2014 T20 World Cup final, 2015 World Cup semi-final, 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final and 2017 Champions Trophy final, Kettleborough was a on-field umpire and India lost all three matches.