India tour of New Zealand T20I Series, 2026

India and New Zealand are set to renew their white-ball rivalry in a five-match T20I series beginning on 22 October 2026 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The opening two matches will both be played in Christchurch on 22 and 24 October, before the series moves to Wellington on 27 October, Auckland on 30 October and Hamilton for the final T20I on 1 November. The contest marks the beginning of India's extensive tour of New Zealand, which also includes five ODIs and two Tests, making it one of the largest bilateral tours hosted by New Zealand in recent years.

India will be led by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma named vice-captain for the T20I series. The touring squad features an exciting combination of established internationals and emerging players, including Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy. The series also marks a return to the national T20I setup for experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while players such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Naman Dhir and Prince Yadav provide India with additional young options as the team continues to develop its short-format depth.

New Zealand will be captained by Mitchell Santner and have selected a strong squad featuring Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Seifert, Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne. Injuries have forced some changes, with Mark Chapman and Zak Foulkes ruled out and replaced by Josh Clarkson and Blair Tickner, while Rachin Ravindra was also unavailable for the T20I squad. With the two sides having met in the final of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the series carries added interest as New Zealand look to use home conditions to challenge an Indian side packed with aggressive batting, varied spin options and considerable pace-bowling depth.