India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Preview:India will take on New Zealand in the opening T20I of their five-match series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, October 22. The match will begin at 12:30 PM IST, corresponding to an 8:00 PM local start in New Zealand.
India will enter the series looking to carry their strong recent T20I record against New Zealand into the away leg. However, the visitors face an immediate challenge, having had little time to prepare after travelling across continents. Shreyas Iyer will lead the Indian side, while Mitchell Santner will captain the hosts.
New Zealand will look to make the most of their home conditions, with pace, bounce and potentially chilly evening weather likely to influence the contest. The hosts also have a strong selection of fast bowlers, while Finn Allen’s aggressive batting could be an important factor at the top of the order.
India, meanwhile, will need to adapt quickly to conditions that could be different from those encountered at home. With Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya unavailable for the T20I series, the visitors will look to their batting depth and a combination of experienced and emerging players to get off to a winning start.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Match Details
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Tournament:India tour of New Zealand, 2026
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Match: India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I
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Date:Thursday, October 22, 2026
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Time:12:30 PM IST
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Local Time: 8:00 PM NZDT
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GMT: 7:00 AM
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Venue:Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand
India vs New Zealand T20I Head-to-Head Record
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Matches Played:31
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India Won:17
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New Zealand Won:11
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Tied: 3
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No Result: 0
Probable Playing XIs
India (Probable XI):Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav/Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand (Probable XI):Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (WK), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (Captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
India vs New Zealand T20I Squads
India Squad:Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
New Zealand Squad:Mitchell Santner (Captain), Tim Seifert (WK), Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Blair Tickner.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Live Streaming: How To Watch The Match In India And Other Countries
India
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TV Broadcast: Sony Sports Network
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Live Streaming: SonyLIV app and website
New Zealand
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TV Broadcast: Sky Sport NZ; free-to-air coverage may also be available on Three or Sky Open
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Live Streaming: Sky Go, Sky Sport Now and ThreeNow, subject to availability
United States and Canada
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TV Broadcast: Willow TV
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Live Streaming: Willow app and website
Stats And Trivia
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India lead the overall rivalry: India have won more T20Is against New Zealand than the hosts.
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Recent bilateral success:India have won their last two bilateral T20I series in New Zealand.
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New Zealand’s home advantage: The hosts will look to use familiar conditions and their pace-bowling depth to challenge India.
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A five-match series:The opening T20I is the first of five matches, giving both teams an opportunity to test combinations and build momentum during the tour.