India Tour of New Zealand 2026: Full Schedule, Squads, Live Streaming in India

By CricketPlaying11 Staff • Oct 24 - Dec 1, 2026 • See table in article

India Tour of New Zealand 2026 - here is the probable playing 11, Dream11 picks, pitch report and live streaming in India in one place. T20I squad India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. T20I squad New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Bevon Jacobs, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Blair Tickner.

If you are in a rush, check the table below first. It gives you the match, date, time in IST, venue, both probable XIs, our captain and vice captain picks, and a short pitch note. Then read the rest if you want the reasons behind the picks. We write Probable / Predicted on every XI that a team has not confirmed yet. That matters for Dream11, because one late change can break a whole team.

Quick answer table

Head to head

In T20Is the two teams have played 31 matches. India won 19, New Zealand won 11 and 1 match was tied. Source named in our check: SportsTiger head-to-head page for this tour. In ODIs and Tests we do not print a number here because we could not check a clean, agreed total before we wrote this page, so we talk about form and match-ups in plain words instead of guessing a record.

Head to head helps, but it does not pick your team for you. Players change, pitches change, and a young player in form can beat an old record in one game. Use the record to see who has liked this match-up in the past, then look at current form, who is fit, and who is sure to play. If a star player is rested, the old record means very little.

Pitch and weather

Pitches change by ground. Hagley Oval and Basin Reserve can help fast bowlers, Eden Park has short straight bounds, Seddon Park and Bay Oval often give a fair game for bat and ball.

Weather in New Zealand, Pakistan and Sharjah can change fast, so check the sky on match day. Wind helps swing bowlers and can make one end hard to hit to. Dew at night makes the ball wet, makes grip hard for spinners, and often makes batting second a bit easier. Rain is the one thing that can cut overs and change everything, so if rain is in the air, pick players who bat up the order and bowl at the start, as they get the most time in a short game.

Playing 11 - how we picked it

New Zealand Probable / Predicted XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.

India Probable / Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav.

We built these XIs from squad lists and probable XIs in the match guides we checked before we wrote this page. We did not copy a confirmed team and call it ours. If a team rests a player, brings in an extra spinner, or swaps a fast bowler for the pitch, the XI will change at the toss. That is normal. For Dream11, wait for the toss, swap in the confirmed names, and only then lock your captain and vice captain.

Look at the balance. A good XI has a clear top order, a keeper who bats high, all-rounders who bowl their full overs, and at least three main bowlers. If a team looks short on batting, they may play safe early. If they bat deep, they can hit hard from ball one. That shape tells you how the game may go and which players will get the most chances to score points.

Dream11 and fantasy picks

Our captain pick is Shreyas Iyer (India captain, T20I squad we checked). Our vice captain pick is Mitchell Santner (New Zealand captain, T20I squad we checked). The thinking is plain: pick players who touch the game a lot. Openers face the most balls. All-rounders bat and bowl. Keepers who bat in the top four get batting points and keeping points. Death bowlers bowl when batters take risks, so they get wicket chances.

For a safe team, pick mostly from the probable XI above, keep your captain on a sure starter, and do not take a wild punt on a player who may not play. For a grand league team, you can take one smart risk - a bowler who may bowl at the death, or a batter who may be pushed up the order on a flat pitch. But even then, keep the base of your team safe. Too many risks in one team rarely pay off.

Team shape that works on most days: 1 to 2 keepers, 3 to 5 batters, 1 to 3 all-rounders, and 3 to 5 bowlers, based on the pitch. On a flat pitch, add a batter. On a green or turning pitch, add a bowler. Check credits as well - a cheap player who is sure to play is better than a big name who sits out.

Key battles

Watch the new ball first. If the openers get through the first few overs, the fielding team will turn to spin or pace off the ball to slow things down. That middle phase often decides the game. A set batter against a spinner who likes that match-up, a left hand and right hand pair that makes the captain keep changing the field, and death bowling against clean hitters - these are the small battles that add up.

Also watch the keeper and slip fielders early. In New Zealand and in Tests, edges carry and chances come fast. In Sharjah and in Pakistan day-night games, watch how the ball skids on under lights. Small things, like who bowls the last over or who fields at the bound edge, can swing fantasy points in the last ten minutes.

Live streaming and toss in India

Sony Sports Network on TV and SonyLIV for streaming in India. That was listed for this tour in the match guides we checked. Please check the SonyLIV app on match day as well, as channels can change.

The toss is about 30 minutes before the start time in IST given above, for most white ball games. For Tests, the toss is on day 1 before the first session. Set a phone reminder, check the confirmed XIs at the toss, and fix your Dream11 team then. Do not rely on a team you made the night before if there is late news on fitness or rest.

Our verdict

On paper this is a close game if both teams play their first choice XI. The pitch note and the toss may tilt it. If the surface is flat and dew is due, the team chasing will like their chances. If there is grass or turn early, the team with the better new ball or spin attack starts ahead. Our picks above lean on form and role, not just big names. Play the conditions, not the hype.

For fans, the best plan is simple: read the quick table, check the pitch, wait for the toss, pick a balanced team, and enjoy the game. Cricket changes fast, and that is why we all keep watching.

Related articles

• NZ vs IND 2nd T20I Playing 11, Dream11, Pitch Report - Oct 24, 2026
• CricketPlaying11 Home - Latest Playing 11 and Dream11 Guides

Sources

ICC, BCCI, New Zealand Cricket, PCB, ECB, Sri Lanka Cricket, Afghanistan Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket for squad and series news where published; Sony Sports Network / SonyLIV and FanCode listings as noted in the match guides we checked; SportsTiger, CricTracker, SportsDunia, Possible11, Cricbuzz and IPL.com match and squad pages checked on 24 Oct 2026 for probable XIs, dates and streaming notes. Where a source gave a head to head number, we named that source in the text. Where we could not check a number, we left it out.

By CricketPlaying11 Staff. All XIs are Probable / Predicted unless a team confirms them at the toss.