India vs New Zealand (NZ) 2026 T20 Squad Likely Best Playing 11
With the T20 World Cup in focus, explore the India vs New Zealand 2026 5-match T20 series best predicted playing 11.
It’s almost the end of December 2025, and two things are shaping up pretty nicely for India with the New Zealand T20 series starting 2026. Not only is the T20 series vs New Zealand the first T20 series of 2026 for Team India, but it is also the last T20 series before the Indian team prepares for the biggest showdown of the year, the T20 World Cup 2026.
BCCI has earlier announced the official squad for Team India for the T20 World Cup 2026, and the same squad shall continue for the T20 series vs New Zealand. The squad saw some really interesting changes as BCCI took a big step to drop the vice-captain Shubman Gill, and also Jitesh Sharma as the second wicket-keeper in the squad. In their place, BCCI selected Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh in the squad.
With a couple of good chances in the side, Team India shall experience a good chance in their playing 11 ( fortunately positive chances). But with Gill and Jitesh not there, how does the playing 11 look like for Team India against a strong New Zealand side? Well, let’s look at the India vs New Zealand 2026 T20 series official squad and best predicted playing 11 for both teams.
India vs New Zealand 2026 Official T20 Squad for the Indian Team
Batters
- Abhishek Sharma
- Rinku Singh
- Suryakumar Yadav (c)
- Tilak Varma
WKs
- Ishan Kishan
- Sanju Samson
All-rounders
- Axar Patel
- Hardik Pandya
- Shivam Dube
- Washington Sundar
Bowlers
- Arshdeep Singh
- Harshit Rana
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Varun Chakravarthy
If we start with the opening combination, Team India will once again be back to the tried and tested opening combination that they had been successfully playing for the last 1-2 years. So, with Shubman Gill now out of the equation, India will be playing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the opening combination going forward. It’s a pretty successful and aggressive opening combination – the one that has given them good opening starts.
Coming to the middle-order, it once again looks settled with either Tilak Varma or Suryakumar Yadav at 3 or 4, depending on the match situation. Similarly, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube will play the role of a floater at 5-6-7. Such flexibility in the lineu,p with players bringing different skills to the table, makes this lineup one of the most dangerous batting lineups in the world.
Coming to the bowling department, Team India will stick to the 3 pace and 3 spin opening combination. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya shall lead the pace department for Team India. Whereas the spin department shall be led by Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel. This is as strong a bowling lineup as one can ask for. The team also has the flexibility to play Kuldeep ahead of Arshdeep on spinning tracks.
India vs New Zealand 2026 T20 Series Best Predicted Playing 11 for the Indian Team
- Abhishek Sharma
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Suryakumar Yadav (c)
- Tilak Varma
- Axar Patel
- Hardik Pandya
- Shivam Dube
- Washington Sundar
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Arshdeep Singh
- Varun Chakravarthy
India vs New Zealand 2026 Official T20 Squad and Players List for NZ
Batters
- Mark Chapman
- Tim Robinson
Wicket-keepers
-
Devon Conway
All-rounders
- Michael Bracewell
- Bevon Jacobs
- Daryl Mitchell
- James Neesham
- Glenn Phillips
- Rachin Ravindra
- Mitchell Santner (C)
- Zakary Foulkes
Bowlers
- Jacob Duffy
- Matt Henry
- Kyle Jamieson
- Ish Sodhi
If we talk about New Zealand’s best playing 11 for the T20 series, we are looking at Tim Robinson and Devon Conway as openers. Rachin Ravindra should play at 3, Daryl Mitchell or Mark Chapman at 4 or 5. Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, and Mitchell Santner should focus on the finishing duties. For the bowling, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, and James Neesham, and Glenn Phillips.
India vs New Zealand 2026 T20 Series Best Predicted Playing 11 for Indian Team
- Devon Conway
- Tim Robinson
- Rachin Ravindra
- Mark Chapman
- Daryl Mitchell
- Michael Bracewell
- James Neesham
- Mitchell Santner (C)
- Jacob Duffy
- Matt Henry
- Ish Sodhi
India vs New Zealand 2026 T20 Series Schedule Fixtures
| Match Type | Date | City | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Wed, Jan 21, 2026 | Nagpur | 7:00 PM (Local) |
| 2nd T20I | Fri, Jan 23, 2026 | Raipur | 7:00 PM (Local) |
| 3rd T20I | Sun, Jan 25, 2026 | Guwahati | 7:00 PM (Local) |
| 4th T20I | Wed, Jan 28, 2026 | Visakhapatnam | 7:00 PM (Local) |
| 5th T20I | Sat, Jan 31, 2026 | Thiruvananthapuram | 7:00 PM (Local) |
So, that’s about the best predicted playing 11 for the Indian Cricket Team vs New Zealand T20 series. Thanks for reading. What’s your ideal playing 11 for India vs New Zealand 2026T20 series? Please share your thoughts on business@cricalytics.com or in the comment section below.
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