Five high-stakes matches T20I series between India and New Zealand It started on 21 January 2026 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The series is a critical final warm-up for both countries ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup scheduled for February. India, Captain Suryakumar Yadaventered the match to check their combinations. Fresh off a historic ODI series win on Indian soil, New Zealand aimed to extend their lead, although they had to go without one of their first wickets in the series opener.
‘Bangladesh reason’ behind James Neesham’s absence from IND vs NZ 1st T20I
The reason James Neesham His absence from the 1st T20I is his unusual commitment to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and its franchise. Rajshahi Warriors. Although Neesham was a key member of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad, he opted to extend his stay in Dhaka to help the Warriors win the BPL title. His team finished top of the league with 8 wins from 10 games and the play-off matches directly coincided with the tour of India.
Coach of Rajshahi Warriors, Hanan Sarkarpersonally asked the 35-year-old all-rounder to stay for the business end of the tournament, a request Neesham enthusiastically supported. To make this happen, Neesham took full responsibility for the logistics, personally contacting New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to arrange his No Objection Certificate (NOC). Sarkar lauded Neesham’s Warrior Spirit and noted that the player had cleared all the formalities himself to be able to play in the BPL final on January 23.
“Let me tell you that even though he is a national team player, Neesham will stay with Rajshahi Warriors till the end of BPL. When I asked him if he could stay somehow, he was interested. But interest was not enough as he also has national duties. We all knew how important a player like Neesham is to our team, so we tried to manage all possible process of Neesham from our country. To organize the IOC, the cricket team told me that Rajshahi will go to the final. if he leaves, he will return to the national team immediately after the match. BSSnews.net reports that Hannah said this
Consequently, Neesham will fly to India on January 22, but only if Rajshahi is ruled out early; otherwise, he will join the national team after the final on January 24. This means he will miss the first two T20Is in Nagpur and Raipur, with his earliest expected appearance being the 3rd T20I in Guwahati.
“Neesham will join the New Zealand team in India on the 22nd or 24th after his BPL commitments, so he will be available at the end of the T20 India tour.” Livemint reports, citing an official of New Zealand Cricket (NZC).
𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐌 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐍! 🇳🇿💪
Jimmy Neesham has officially extended his stay at Rajshahi Warriors. 🏏#RajshahiWarriors #BPL2024 #JimmyNeesham #FightingSpirit #BangladeshCricket pic.twitter.com/Lvq6aKXeSy— Rajshahi Warriors (@RajshahiW) January 19, 2026
Mitchell Santner has won the India vs New Zealand T20I match at Nagpur
In the opening T20I at Nagpur, the New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first, based on a good batting surface and dew expected after evening. India’s captain Suryakumar revealed that they too prefer to bowl but are ready to target. Ishan Kishi bat No. 3 in place of the injured Tilak Varma.
India’s lineup has seen significant rotations Shreyas Iyer, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav all missed out on the final 11. On the other hand, New Zealand gave a T20I debut to the young pace bowler Christian Clarkebrings back at the same time Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy leading a three-man seam attack. Michael Bracewell It will provide the necessary all-round balance for the visitors looking to build momentum ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
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