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- Top three bowlers to watch out for in 1st T20I NZ vs IND. India and New Zealand will meet in the first of five T20Is at Hagley Oval on October 22, 2026, with several bowlers expected to play key roles.
- IND vs WI (Source: BCCI) New Zealand and India will open their five-match T20I series on October 22, 2026 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
- Shreyas Iyer will lead India and Mitchell Santner will lead New Zealand.
Top three bowlers to watch out for in 1st T20I NZ vs IND. India and New Zealand will meet in the first of five T20Is at Hagley Oval on October 22, 2026, with several bowlers expected to play key roles.
IND vs WI (Source: BCCI) New Zealand and India will open their five-match T20I series on October 22, 2026 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Shreyas Iyer will lead India and Mitchell Santner will lead New Zealand. Both teams come into this series with a recent history that favors India.
India won the previous T20I series between these teams 4-1 in January 2026 and then defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on March 8, 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Here are three bowlers who could make a significant impact in the first T20I. Mitchell Santner Mitchell Santner.
(Photo source: Joe Allison-ICC/ICC via ) Mitchell Santner has dual responsibility in this series, leading the team while also acting as New Zealand’s main spin-on. The left-arm spinner has taken five wickets in his last five T20Is at an economy rate of 5.88, figures that highlight his ability to control runs at international level. Conditions at Hagley Oval in October could make pivoting easier and Santner’s control will be important as New Zealand look to restrict a batting line-up that scored 255/5 in the T20 World Cup final earlier this year.
His ability to create pressure through tight lines makes him one of the key bowlers in the New Zealand XI in this first game of the series. Varun Chakravarthy Varun Chakravarthy (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/) Varun Chakravarthy brings a number of variations that have made him a consistent wicket-taker for India in T20 cricket. He has picked up 75 T20I wickets at an average of 17.34 and an economy rate of 7.58, figures that reflect both his penetration and his ability to remove batters at different stages of an innings.
The mysterious right-arm spinner’s ability to deceive batsmen with his catch and run makes him a threat to any batting order. After India convincingly won the last T20I series against New Zealand, Chakravarthy, who finally returns to the team after a long injury layoff, will look to continue the momentum and put the hosts under pressure from the end of the round. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via ) Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to the Indian team for this series was confirmed ahead of the tour, marking a return to the blue color for the first time since 2023.
His experience with the new ball and in death overs adds depth to India’s bowling attack. During his international career, he has taken 90 T20I wickets at an average of 23.10 and an economy rate of 6.96. The New Zealand conditions, particularly at Hagley Oval, are known to facilitate swing bowling, which suits Bhuneshwar’s style.
His ability to move the ball from the early overs and kill yorkers at the death makes him a key figure if India are to maintain their recent dominance over New Zealand in this five-match series.
