New Zealand have named their 16-player squad for the five-match T20I series against India starting on October 22 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The squad announcement confirms a few changes from their recent T20 World Cup line-up, most notably the absence of Rachin Ravindra, who suffered a dislocated shoulder during a promotional shoot last week. Ravindra is expected to be sidelined for about six weeks, with a target return for the ODI series that begins November 4 in Auckland.
Mitchell Santner will captain the side as New Zealand launch their home summer with one of the most anticipated white-ball series of the year. The schedule spans four cities over 11 days, opening the door to India’s full 12-match tour of New Zealand, which also includes five ODIs and two Tests. New Zealand Cricket confirmed that more than 76,000 tickets have already been sold, a strong indicator of the public’s enthusiasm for this clash.
The squad retains 13 of the players who featured in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, where they reached the final but lost to India. Two significant additions are Michael Bracewell, the spin all-rounder, and pacer Adam Milne. Both missed the T20 World Cup due to injury but are now fit to return. Milne joins a pace attack that includes Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, and Jacob Duffy, alongside young talents Zak Foulkes and Nathan Smith, giving New Zealand a varied and deep seam bowling option for the series.
Ben Sears was left out as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. The squad’s opening pair of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert reunite at the top of the order. They last batted together for New Zealand during the T20 World Cup, where Allen notably blasted an unbeaten 33-ball century against South Africa in the semi-final at Eden Gardens. Seifert contributed 58 off 33 balls in that match and went on to have a standout season in The Hundred, earning the Player of the Tournament award after scoring 394 runs at a strike rate of 168, including a match-winning 72 in the final.
The full New Zealand squad for the T20I series is Mitchell Santner (captain), 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.
The T20I series begins in Christchurch on October 22, with subsequent matches on October 24 at the same venue, October 27 in Wellington’s Hnry Stadium, October 30 at Eden Park in Auckland, and concluding on November 1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Following the T20Is, the ODI series kicks off on November 4 at Eden Park, stretching through five matches across various venues until November 15. The Test series will then start on November 19 at the Cello Basin Reserve in Wellington.
This announcement sets the stage for a tightly contested white-ball series, with New Zealand balancing experience and youth while managing injury setbacks ahead of a demanding home summer.
According to Yahoo Sports.
