India National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match: India will begin their final preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 when they take on New Zealand in a five-match T20 International series starting from Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Indian side, while Mitchell Santner will captain New Zealand.
The series provides both teams a chance to fine-tune their strategies ahead of the global tournament. India will also look for their captain Suryakumar Yadav to regain form with the bat before defending their World Cup title.
India have been hit by injuries, with Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar ruled out of the series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Ravi Bishnoi and Shreyas Iyer have been added to the squad for the first three T20Is as replacements.
Sundar suffered a side strain during the first ODI against New Zealand after experiencing discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling. He has been advised to rest and will later report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further management.
India vs New Zealand T20I Series 2026 Schedule
| Match | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Jan. 21 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium | Nagpur |
| 2nd T20I | Jan. 23 | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium | Raipur |
| 3rd T20I | Jan. 25 | ACA Stadium | Guwahati |
| 4th T20I | Jan. 28 | Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium | Visakhapatnam |
| 5th T20I | Jan. 31 | Greenfield International Stadium | Thiruvananthapuram |
All matches will start at 7 p.m. IST.
Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ravi Bishnoi.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi.
Broadcast and StreamingThe series will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network. Fans can also stream the matches live on the JioHotstar app and website.