IND vs NZ Playing 11 for 2nd T20I: Will India Change the Winning Combination?

The India vs New Zealand T20I series now moves to Raipur as the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, which will host the second match of the five-match series. The action will be live on Friday, January 23, 2026 from 7 PM IST.

This IND vs NZ series provides a great opportunity for both teams to prepare for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will begin on February 7. Hence, these games will be important for both sides to get the balance right and find the perfect combination for World Cup.

India Thrash New Zealand in 1st T20I

The Suryakumar Yadav-led side started the India vs New Zealand T20I Series on a high. They won the opening game by 48 runs to take an early lead in the series, displaying a dominating effort with bat as well as the ball.

India batted first and it was a run feast in Nagpur. Abhishek Sharma starred yet again and smashed 84 runs to show the world why he is considered the best T20 batsman currently. Captain Suryakumar Yadav (32) and Hardik Pandya (25) contributed in the middle to keep the momentum going.

In the end, Rinku Singh (44*) came up with a brilliant finish, also slamming 21 runs in the last over. Thanks to his late blitz, India posted a mammoth total of 238 runs on the board.

Earlier during the run chase, New Zealand lost a couple of wickets in the first two overs, courtesy of Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya. Although, Glenn Phillips (78) and Mark Chapman (39) put them under a bit of pressure, the bowlers held their nerves.

They restricted Kiwis to 190 to bag a massive 48-run win and start the series on a high. The Men in Blue would now be keen to carry on the same confidence and win the second match as well to take a 2-0 lead.

IND vs NZ Playing 11 for 2nd T20I (Probable)

The home team hardly put a foot wrong in the first IND vs NZ 1st T20I. They had a combination of three all-rounders along with two pacers and one front-line spinner. They are expected to go with the same XI, barring a change that might be a forced one.

One of the best all-rounders in the world, Axar Patel, sustained a finger injury in the first game as he attempted to stop the ball off his own bowling. He left the field with his finger being fully blooded. There are chances that the team management might look to rest him and give him proper time to heal, considering the T20 World Cup around the corner.

In his place, there are chances for Kuldeep Yadav to be included in the India playing 11 for 2nd T20I. The rest of the Indian XI is expected to be the same as it was in the last game.

On the other hand, New Zealand are expected to continue the same combination. To judge the player’s performance from just one game would be unfair, hence there are chances that New Zealand might continue with the same XI for the IND vs NZ Playing 11 today.