The Indian cricket team is gearing up for a pivotal five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January 2026, which is seen as the final tune-up ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to begin in February 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
This series is more than just a contest; it’s considered a dress rehearsal for the marquee event, with reports indicating that the Indian squad fielded against New Zealand will likely remain intact for the World Cup.
This approach follows the strategy adopted during the 2024 T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy 2025, where continuity was prioritized to build team chemistry and momentum. Interestingly, India won both the tournaments, marking an end to a 17 and 12-year-long wait for those respective silverwares.
Highlighting the strategy, a source speaking to PTI said, “With only 10 T20Is left before the T20 World Cup, you won’t see many changes happening in the squad proper unless someone is ruled out due to any specific injury. One of the biggest reasons being continuity, and the 15 chosen for the series against the Black Caps won’t be tinkered with because of the short turnaround time.”
The T20I series schedule starts on January 21, 2026, with matches being played across diverse venues, including Nagpur, Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram. The Indian team recently played against Australia and won the T20I series 2-1 down under, and the majority of those players are likely to be included for the upcoming assignments.
After the arrival of Gautam Gambhir at the helm following India’s T20 World Cup win in 2024, the Men in Blue have looked excellent in the smallest format of the game. India, as per reports, have been slotted along with Pakistan in their T20 World Cup group. USA, Netherlands and Namibia are likely to be the other teams in their group.