Why Kyle Jamieson is Not Playing Today in IND vs NZ 2nd T20I?

Team India is facing New Zealand for the second T20I of this important five-match series in Raipur. The Kiwis suffered a 48-run loss in the first match of the series in Nagpur and were totally blown away by the home team.

In the first match, Indian batters put up a monumental total of 238 runs on the scoreboard. However, in response, NZ could manage to score only 190 runs. In the IND vs NZ 2nd T20I, the Blackcaps were asked to put runs on the scoreboard first by Suryakumar Yadav. However, the visitors made a surprising change by dropping the fast bowler Kyle Jamieson from the playing XI.

Why Kyle Jamieson is Not Playing Today?

The biggest reason why New Zealand lost the first match was their poor bowling performance. To rectify that mistake, they decided to drop Kyle Jamieson from the playing 11 for this game.

The right-arm medium pacer was the most expensive bowler in the first match, conceding a total of 54 runs in his four-over quota at an embarrassing economy rate of 13.50. Pacer Matt Henry has been included in the playing 11 for this match as Kyle Jamieson replacement.

Henry has been one of the best ODI bowlers recently, however, his T20I numbers remain untested. He has all the skills to become a fine all-format bowler and his experience will give New Zealand an edge.

Kyle Jamieson Replaces Adam Milne in New Zealand T20 World Cup squad

Kyle Jamieson's omission from the IND vs NZ 2nd T20I was quite a surprising move from the Kiwis, as the 31-year-old has been recently added to New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup 2026. Jamieson wasn't part of the squad when the team was announced initially.

However, another Kiwi pacer, Adam Milne, sustained a torn left hamstring injury and won't be able to feature in the marquee tournament. As a result, Jamieson ended up replacing him in the squad.

Interestingly, Milne sustained the injury during the SA20 clash between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town, after which, he was taken for scans, where the seriousness of the injury was revealed.

Jamieson is one of the best bowlers in the world, however, his career has been badly affected by injuries. He recently played the ODI series against India and played a key role in NZ's historic win.