One down, four matches to go. India took the first T20 pretty comfortably in Nagpur. The action moves to Raipur now for the 2nd match on January 23, 2026. The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium gets ready to host this IND vs NZ battle.
Kiwis arrived looking confident after smashing West Indies recently. But India showed them reality in that opening game! New Zealand’s Playing 11 has some serious thinking to do before the 2nd T20 starts.
Raipur’s ground loves batsmen who swing their bats freely from ball one. Another run-fest seems likely when IND vs NZ 2nd T20 begins tomorrow. Both teams know the World Cup starts soon, making these matches super important.
Likely India’s Playing 11
Abhishek Sharma went absolutely berserk in the last game with 84 runs off only 35 balls! Watching him smash bowlers everywhere during the powerplay was pure joy. Sanju Samson got just 10 runs but he’s keeping his spot surely.
Ishan Kishan made his comeback scoring 8 off 5 in the first T20. Not huge numbers, but team management will back him for the series. Suryakumar Yadav holds the middle order together even though his own bat needs some runs.
Rinku Singh played a gem of an innings – 44 not out off 20 balls. That’s exactly why everyone rates this guy so highly right now. Axar Patel does his all-rounder job perfectly every single time. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube can clear any boundary when they connect properly.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | Batter |
| Sanju Samson | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Suryakumar Yadav (c) | Batter (Captain) |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| Hardik Pandya | All-rounder |
| Rinku Singh | Finisher / Batter |
| Axar Patel | All-rounder / Spin |
| Arshdeep Singh | Pace Bowler |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Spin Bowler |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Pace Bowler |
Likely New Zealand Playing 11
Tim Robinson opened with 21 off 15 while Devon Conway got a duck. They need a better start in the IND vs NZ 2nd T20 honestly. Rachin Ravindra managed just 1 run off 5 balls batting at number 3.
Glenn Phillips accelerates scoring in the middle overs when needed most. Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell bring composure when things get tight. Mitchell Santner and Kristian Clarke add useful depth to their team structure.
Kyle Jamieson’s bounce causes problems with the new ball usually. Ish Sodhi spins it both ways to trouble batsmen regularly. Jacob Duffy bowls consistent lines and lengths throughout his spells.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Tim Robinson | Batter |
| Devon Conway | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Rachin Ravindra | All-rounder |
| Glenn Phillips | Batter |
| Mark Chapman | Batter |
| Daryl Mitchell | All-rounder |
| Mitchell Santner (c) | All-rounder (Captain) |
| Kristian Clarke | All-rounder |
| Kyle Jamieson | Pace Bowler |
| Ish Sodhi | Leg-spin Bowler |
| Jacob Duffy | Pace Bowler |
New Zealand’s bowling fell apart during the middle overs in the last game though.
They leaked too many runs when India’s batsmen attacked hard. The IND vs NZ 2nd match requires much better execution from their entire Playing 11!
