IND vs NZ LIVE, 1st T20I: India batting first, no Kuldeep, Harshit & Shreyas in Playing XI

IND vs NZ LIVE, 1st T20I: India will bat first after losing the toss in Nagpur. Harshit Rana, Shreyas Iyer and Kuldeep Yadav have been benched for Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh and Rinku Singh. The final leg of preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 begins today for India and New Zealand. While Team India would be aiming to avenge their Test and ODI series loss at home against the Kiwis, the focus will remain solely on applying final touches and fine-tuning the combination for the T20 WC. Both teams are missing key players due to injuries in the IND vs NZ T20I series, and that will surely hamper the preparations.

Match Details

Match: India vs New Zealand 1st T20I
Date: January 21, 2026 (Wednesday)
Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium, Nagpur
Start Time: 7:00 PM IST (Toss at 6:30 PM IST)
Captains: Suryakumar Yadav (India), Mitchell Santner (New Zealand)

India vs New Zealand Head-to-Head

India and New Zealand have faced each other in 25 T20I matches. Team India have won 14, New Zealand 10, with 1 tie/no result. India hold the upper hand in recent home encounters, winning most bilateral series.

IND vs NZ Playing 11s

India Playing XI

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand Playing XI

Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy

IND vs NZ Live Streaming Details

In India: Live telecast on Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, etc.).
Live Streaming: Available on JioHotstar app and website (subscription required).

Live

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: Tharoor meets Gambhir

21/01/2026 18:51

Sashi Tharoor and Gautam Gambhir might be on opposite sides of the political spectrum at times, but the current India coach and the Congress MP have no qualms in cricket. They met in Nagpur before the 1st T20I. Tharoor continues to follow cricket wherever he is. And he will be happy to know that Gambhir hasn't dropped his Kerala star Sanju Samson.

In Nagpur, enjoyed a good &frank discussion with my old friend @GautamGambhir, the man with the hardest job in India after the PM’s! He is being second-guessed by millions daily but stays calm &walks on undaunted. A word of appreciation for his quiet determination and able… pic.twitter.com/LOHPygVV0E
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 21, 2026

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: New Zealand Playing XI

21/01/2026 18:38

Tim Robinson
Devon Conway(w)
Rachin Ravindra
Glenn Phillips
Mark Chapman
Daryl Mitchell
Mitchell Santner (C)
Kristian Clarke
Kyle Jamieson
Ish Sodhi
Jacob Duffy

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: India Playing XI

21/01/2026 18:38

Sanju Samson (WK)
Abhishek Sharma
Ishan Kishan
Suryakumar Yadav (C)
Rinku Singh
Shivam Dube
Hardik Pandya
Axar Patel
Jasprit Bumrah
Varun Chakaravarthy
Arshdeep Singh

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: Toss update!

21/01/2026 18:32

Mitchell Santner wins the toss and opts to bowl against India in the 1st T20I. Suryakumar Yadav begins 2026 with poor toss luck.

🚨 Toss 🚨#TeamIndia have been asked to bat first in Nagpur.

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/ItzV352OVv #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/7iRUCUyYeQ
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 21, 2026

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: Clarke set for T20I debut

21/01/2026 18:32

Kristian Clarke will make his T20I debut as he gets the cap at the team huddle ahead of the toss.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: Players warming up

21/01/2026 18:12

With toss in 20 minutes, both teams are warming up. Suryakumar Yadav is shadow-practising on the centre wicket. He has been out of form for a long time. As 2026 begins, he will aim to bounce back. He failed to score a single fifty in 2025.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: Who will partner Bumrah?

21/01/2026 17:57

Gautam Gambhir has always pressed on having more all-rounders in the Playing XI. With Washington Sundar ruled out, India have to rely on a specialist. But with Harshit Rana proving his batting mettle, will he be the 2nd pacer to partner Jasprit Bumrah? If that happens, Arshdeep Singh will once again be benched.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: What about Shreyas Iyer?

21/01/2026 17:34

Shreyas Iyer is a backup for Tilak Varma. However, as Iyer is not in the T20 World Cup, it is unlikely that he will get a go in the 1st T20. Axar Patel will slot in at No 5 with Hardik Pandya at No 6. Rinku Singh, who is in the T20 WC squad, will also get a game at No 7. He will play the role of a finisher.

VCA Stadium, Nagpur Pitch Report

21/01/2026 17:22

The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium pitch features red soil, providing good early bounce and pace for fast bowlers in the powerplay. It tends to slow down as the game progresses, assisting spinners with grip and turn. Average first-innings scores in T20Is hover around 150-160, with high scores rare (200+ crossed only once in 13+ T20Is). Dew often plays a role in the second innings, easing batting and favouring teams chasing. Captains may prefer to bowl first.

India have a decent record in T20Is in Nagpur 🔵🏏#INDvNZ #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/E820zI9JO8
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) January 21, 2026

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: Ishan Kishan set for No 3

21/01/2026 17:22

With Tilak Varma out of action, at least for the first three T20Is, Ishan Kishan will bat at No 3. He last played for India in November of 2023. Since then, he has been overlooked, until now. As Ishan will be in the T20 World Cup, the team management wants to give him match time. Who will keep wickets, then? It is likely tobe Sanju Samson as he will be the first-choice keeper-batter.

🗣️🗣️ Ishan Kishan will play at no.3

Captain @surya_14kumar on the inclusion of @ishankishan51 in #TeamIndia's Playing XI in the 1⃣st T20I against New Zealand. #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/sZ3AB7RKVH
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 20, 2026

IND vs NZ 1st T20I Match Preview

21/01/2026 17:18

New Zealand, captained by Mitchell Santner, have shown resilience with recent series wins over India in Tests and ODIs, but cracking a full T20I series in India remains elusive. They've lost the last four such series. Players like Glenn Phillips (fresh from an ODI century), Rachin Ravindra, and Devon Conway will be pivotal.

The Nagpur pitch offers early bounce for pacers before aiding spinners, with dew likely favouring chases.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I Match Preview

21/01/2026 17:18

India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, enter the series as overwhelming favourites, having dominated T20Is with eight consecutive bilateral series wins since their 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. The Men in Blue are yet to lose a T20I series under coach Gautam Gambhir and boast a fearsome pace attack with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, complemented by spinners like Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. Key focus areas include Ishan Kishan's return at No. 3 (replacing the injured Tilak Varma) and Suryakumar's own batting form ahead of the T20 World Cup defence.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: India squad

21/01/2026 17:10

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE: New Zealand squad

21/01/2026 17:10

Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kristian Clarke, Zakary Foulkes

Cricket India vs New Zealand India Cricket New Zealand Cricket Ishan Kishan Sanju Samson Suryakumar Yadav