Sports · Cricket · 55 mins ago
India and New Zealand Open Five-Match T20 Series in Christchurch
India and New Zealand begin a five-match T20 series with their first game in Christchurch on Thursday.
India, led by Shreyas Iyer, are favourites, but will be without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand’s pace-heavy attack will test India in conditions described as friendly to fast bowlers.
India have also been working to improve their bowling options and find more consistent team combinations after concerns in their recent series against the West Indies.
Rachin Ravindra is out of New Zealand’s T20 squad after dislocating his right shoulder during a promotional shoot.
Mitchell Santner captains the hosts, whose batting includes Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell.
The first match sets the tone for the five-game series, which gives both teams a chance to test their line-ups.
India and New Zealand opened their five-match T20I series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 22, 2026.
India captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bowl first, saying the team wanted to assess how the wicket was playing.
Mitchell Santner said New Zealand would also have chosen to bowl and would aim to post a big score.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to India’s T20I set-up after nearly four years.
The tour also includes five one-day internationals and two Tests.
- Who
- India and New Zealand’s men’s cricket teams.
- What
- They opened a five-match T20I series. India chose to bowl first.
- When
- October 22, 2026. One source calls the match Wednesday, while another says it starts Thursday.
- Where
- Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Why
- India chose to bowl to get an idea of how the wicket was playing after a quick turnaround.
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- Venue
- Hagley Oval, Christchurch
- Match date
- October 22, 2026
- Series
- Five T20Is
- Toss
- India chose to bowl first
- India captain
- Shreyas Iyer
- New Zealand captain
- Mitchell Santner
6 sources
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