New Zealand Unveils T20I Squad for India Series with Strong Pace Attack

New Zealand's T20I Squad Announcement

Auckland, New Zealand - On September 23, New Zealand Cricket revealed a 16-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against India, featuring a formidable pace attack as the highlight of the BLACKCAPS' first squad of the home summer.

Mitchell Santner, the captain for white-ball formats, will lead this expanded T20I team, with the series set to kick off on October 22 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The matches will take place across four cities over an 11-day period, as detailed on the New Zealand Cricket website.

This T20I series is part of India's extensive 12-match tour of New Zealand, which also includes five ODIs and two Test matches. New Zealand Cricket has reported that over 76,000 tickets have already been sold for the tour, a month prior to the first match.

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Our T20I squad to face India in the five-match Hero VIDA T20I series, Powered by Ai+ Nova Smartphone, starting on Thursday 22 October at Hagley Oval. pic.twitter.com/KIBdZA3LMz

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) September 23, 2026

Thirteen players from the New Zealand squad that finished as runners-up to India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year have been retained. Notably, spin all-rounder Michael Bracewell and pacer Adam Milne are making a comeback after injuries sidelined them during the tournament.

Milne, aged 34, returns to the national team after more than a year, having last played against Zimbabwe. He joins a seasoned pace lineup that includes Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, and Jacob Duffy, along with emerging talents Zak Foulkes and Nathan Smith.

Unfortunately, batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra will miss the T20I series due to a dislocated right shoulder sustained during a promotional event last week. His recovery is expected to take around six weeks, with hopes of returning for the ODI series against India starting November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland.

Openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen will reunite at the top of the batting order for the first time since their successful T20 World Cup campaign. Allen notably scored an explosive unbeaten century off just 33 balls against South Africa in the semi-final, while Seifert contributed a solid 58 runs off 33 balls, leading New Zealand to a nine-wicket victory.

Seifert was also recognized as Player of the Tournament in The Hundred, amassing 394 runs at a strike rate of 168, including a decisive 72 off 38 balls in the final.

Pacer Ben Sears was not included in the squad as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

The T20I squad for the series against India includes: Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, and Nathan Smith.