New Zealand vs India 1st T20I prediction, players and playing 11
India won by 4 wickets in the 1st T20I of the India tour of New Zealand 2026 on Thu 22 Oct, Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
Updated
Result and fantasy points
India won by 4 wickets · Player of the match: Sanju Samson
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Glenn Phillips NZ | 60 |
| Sanju Samson I | 58 |
| Finn Allen NZ | 39 |
| Naman Dhir I | 34 |
| Mitchell Santner NZ | 28 |
| Shreyas Iyer I | 28 |
| Axar Patel I | 27 |
| Abhishek Sharma I | 27 |
| Bevon Jacobs NZ | 27 |
| Michael Bracewell NZ | 26 |
| Daryl Mitchell NZ | 20 |
Points include the 2 for playing (in the total, not the columns). Our picks above were made before the match from earlier games only, and are shown unchanged.
Our pre-match prediction
Prediction: India have the edge, 65% to 35%.
- India's predicted XI is stronger on recent T20 form: 253 expected fantasy points against 222 for New Zealand.
- India lead the T20I head to head 22–13. Full New Zealand vs India head to head →
- Last five matches: New Zealand WLLLW; India NLWLW
- At Hagley Oval, Christchurch, chasing sides have won 8 of 15 T20s and sides batting first 6.
The win chance compares both predicted XIs on their recent T20 form. Tested on 926 past T20 international matches, sides we rated at about 60% or more won about two in three; treat any figure under 55% as a toss-up.
New Zealand vs India players and squads
New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Josh Clarkson, Bevon Jacobs, Blair Tickner, Matthew Fisher
India squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav
Captains: Mitchell Santner (New Zealand) and Shreyas Iyer (India).
New Zealand predicted playing 11
| Player | Exp. pts | Last 5 games |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell SantnercaptainAR · 25+ T20s | 23 | 1628172422 |
| Finn AllenBAT · 25+ T20s | 30 | 2311712079 |
| Tim SeifertWK · 25+ T20s | 24 | 126457817 |
| Devon ConwayWK · 25+ T20s | 21 | 201720026 |
| Glenn PhillipsAR · 25+ T20s | 19 | 111610174 |
| Daryl MitchellAR · 25+ T20s | 19 | 27394-619 |
| Michael BracewellAR · 25+ T20s | 17 | 121166212 |
| Jacob DuffyBOWL · 25+ T20s | 16 | 238-21016 |
| Nathan SmithAR · 21 T20s | 18 | 27150230 |
| Adam MilneBOWL · 25+ T20s | 17 | -3216188 |
| Josh ClarksonAR · 18 T20s | 17 | 423422728 |
Rest of the squad (3)
| Bevon JacobsBAT · 24 T20s | 15 | 577-32320 |
| Blair TicknerBOWL · 20 T20s | 13 | 663818 |
| Matthew FisherBOWL · 1 T20 | 12 | -4 |
India predicted playing 11
| Player | Exp. pts | Last 5 games |
|---|---|---|
| Shreyas IyercaptainBAT · 25+ T20s | 25 | 181333381 |
| Vaibhav SooryavanshiBAT · 25+ T20s | 33 | 1636632147 |
| Ishan KishanWK · 25+ T20s | 28 | 276353533 |
| Abhishek SharmaAR · 25+ T20s | 25 | 619551821 |
| Sanju SamsonWK · 25+ T20s | 24 | 1851-26611 |
| Tilak VarmaAR · 25+ T20s | 23 | 63432356 |
| Nitish Kumar ReddyAR · 25+ T20s | 22 | 2726452410 |
| Bhuvneshwar KumarBOWL · 25+ T20s | 20 | 22224-422 |
| Naman DhirBAT · 25+ T20s | 19 | 24-630-142 |
| Axar PatelAR · 25+ T20s | 18 | 2823-436 |
| Shivam DubeAR · 25+ T20s | 17 | 2-2247-2 |
Rest of the squad (5)
| Varun ChakravarthyBOWL · 25+ T20s | 16 | 5182155 |
| Arshdeep SinghBOWL · 25+ T20s | 15 | 2953-214 |
| Kuldeep YadavBOWL · 25+ T20s | 15 | 62438-4-2 |
| Prince YadavBOWL · 25+ T20s | 15 | 214162226 |
| Mayank YadavBOWL · 20 T20s | 14 | -40381042 |
Predicted playing 11s are our estimate from each squad: once a side has played in this series, its last XI, otherwise the captain first, then recent T20 fantasy points and experience. They change when the teams are announced at the toss.
New Zealand vs India probable batting order and bowlers
Who opens, and who bowls in the powerplay, middle and death overs
New Zealand probable batting order
Devon Conway and Tim Seifert are likely to open for New Zealand.
- 1Devon Conwayopens
- 2Tim Seifertopens
- 3Glenn Phillipsopens
- 4Finn Allenopens
- 5Daryl MitchellNo. 4
- 6Michael BracewellNos. 4–5
- 7Josh ClarksonNos. 7–8
- 8Mitchell Santner
- 9Nathan Smith
- 10Adam Milne
- 11Jacob Duffy
New Zealand: who bowls when
Adam Milne and Jacob Duffy are likely to take the new ball.
- Powerplay overs 1–6
- Jacob Duffy (pace, most often overs 1, 2 and 3); Adam Milne (pace, most often overs 2, 4 and 5)
- Middle overs 7–15
- Mitchell Santner (spin, most often overs 7, 9 and 10); Josh Clarkson (pace, most often overs 9, 11 and 13); Michael Bracewell (spin, most often overs 7, 9 and 11)
- Death overs 16–20
- Adam Milne (pace, most often overs 16, 17 and 19); Nathan Smith (pace, most often overs 16 and 18)
India probable batting order
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson are likely to open for India.
- 1Vaibhav Sooryavanshiopens
- 2Sanju Samsonopens
- 3Abhishek Sharmaopens
- 4Ishan KishanNo. 3
- 5Shreyas IyerNo. 4
- 6Tilak VarmaNos. 5–6
- 7Naman DhirNo. 6
- 8Nitish Kumar Reddy
- 9Shivam Dube
- 10Axar Patel
- 11Bhuvneshwar Kumar
India: who bowls when
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is likely to take the new ball.
- Powerplay overs 1–6
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (pace, most often overs 1, 3 and 5); Axar Patel (spin, most often overs 2, 4 and 5)
- Middle overs 7–15
- Naman Dhir (spin, most often over 11); Axar Patel (spin, most often overs 7, 10 and 12); Nitish Kumar Reddy (pace, most often overs 8, 14 and 15)
- Death overs 16–20
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (pace, most often overs 16, 18 and 19); Nitish Kumar Reddy (pace, most often over 16)
From each player's last 10 T20s, leaning on where they batted and bowled in their last game for this side. Tested on about 1,000 past matches, the batting slot was within one place of the actual order 85% of the time and both openers were right three times in four. Death bowling changes most from match to match.
Hagley Oval, Christchurch pitch report
15 T20s have been played at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, with an average first-innings score of 161. Sides batting first have won 6 and chasing sides 8. Captains who won the toss chose to field 11 times out of 15. Full Hagley Oval, Christchurch stats and records →
Suggested fantasy XI
Highest expected points from both probable XIs: 11 players, at most 7 from one side, 1–4 wicketkeepers, 3–6 batters, 1–4 all-rounders and 3–6 bowlers
Wicketkeepers · 3
- Ishan KishanI28 pts
- Tim SeifertNZ24 pts
- Sanju SamsonI24 pts
Batters · 3
- Vaibhav SooryavanshiCI33 pts
- Finn AllenVCNZ30 pts
- Shreyas IyerI25 pts
All-rounders · 2
- Abhishek SharmaI25 pts
- Tilak VarmaI23 pts
Bowlers · 3
- Bhuvneshwar KumarI20 pts
- Adam MilneNZ17 pts
- Jacob DuffyNZ16 pts
- Option 2: Mitchell Santner in for Sanju Samson (311 expected points, against 312)
- Option 3: Devon Conway in for Tilak Varma (310 expected points, against 312)
Suggestions are statistical estimates from past matches, not guarantees. CricketViz is not affiliated with the ICC, either board or any fantasy sports app.
Captain and vice-captain picks
Who to make captain and vice-captain, and why
- The captain earns double and the vice-captain one and a half times their points, so these two picks swing a fantasy team more than any other. Put your two highest expected scorers there.
- When expected points are close, prefer the player who tops the scoring more often (the simulated share and the record below), or pick the other one as a differential that fewer teams will have.
- All-rounders and top-order batters are steadier picks: they can score with the bat, the ball and in the field.
| Player | Exp. pts | Top scorer | Best C | Best VC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi IC31 recent T20s | 33 | 19% | 26%8/31 | 10%3/31 |
| Finn Allen NZVC40 recent T20s | 30 | 12% | 10%7/70 | 10%7/70 |
| Ishan Kishan I40 recent T20s | 28 | 12% | 14%11/77 | 6%5/77 |
| Shreyas Iyer I40 recent T20s | 25 | 10% | 9%6/66 | 12%8/66 |
| Abhishek Sharma I40 recent T20s | 25 | 9% | 14%15/109 | 7%8/109 |
| Tim Seifert NZ40 recent T20s | 24 | 9% | 8%10/123 | 7%9/123 |
- Exp. pts: from the player's recent T20s (up to 25, shown under the name), newest counting most.
- Top scorer / top two: how often the player scores the most (or is in the top two) in this XI, over 4,000 simulated matches.
- Best C / VC: how often the player was the match's top (or second-top) fantasy scorer, across both teams, in their T20s of the last three years; not how many people picked them. How we calculate this
Questions about this match
- Who are the captains of New Zealand and India?
- Mitchell Santner (New Zealand) and Shreyas Iyer (India).
- When and where is New Zealand vs India?
- Thu 22 Oct 2026, 8:00 pm NZDT (12:30 pm IST), at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
- What is the New Zealand predicted playing 11?
- Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Josh Clarkson.
- What is the India predicted playing 11?
- Shreyas Iyer (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube.
- Who will open the batting for New Zealand?
- Devon Conway and Tim Seifert are likely to open for New Zealand.
- Who will bowl at the death for New Zealand?
- Adam Milne (most often overs 16, 17 and 19) and Nathan Smith (most often overs 16 and 18) usually bowl at the death for New Zealand.
- Who will open the batting for India?
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson are likely to open for India.
- Who will bowl at the death for India?
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (most often overs 16, 18 and 19) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (most often over 16) usually bowl at the death for India.
- What is the Hagley Oval, Christchurch pitch report?
- 15 T20s have been played at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, with an average first-innings score of 161. Sides batting first have won 6 and chasing sides 8.