CULTCulture & Viral NO. ---
NZ vs IND 1st T20I: Iyer wins toss, India bowl at Hagley Oval
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat at Hagley Oval as India opened a five-match T20I series, their first meeting with New Zealand since the T20 World Cup final in March.
Key takeaways
- India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first against New Zealand in the 1st T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
- The match was scheduled to start at 8pm New Zealand time, which is 07:00 UTC (12:30 IST).
- India brought in fast bowler Mayank Yadav and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for Prince Yadav and Shivam Dube.
- This is the first of five T20Is and the first meeting between the sides in the format since India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final in March.
- "NZ vs IND" was among the top trending searches in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Japan on Google Trends around 06:40 UTC.
NZ vs IND 1st T20I: what happened at the toss
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl in the NZ vs IND 1st T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Thursday, 22 October 2026. The match, the first of five T20Is, was scheduled to start at 07:00 UTC (12:30 IST).
Iyer pointed to the short gap between series. He called it "a quick turnaround" and said he wanted to learn how the pitch would play and how much bounce it would offer, IANS and India.com reported. India's previous series, at home against the West Indies, ended four days earlier when the deciding match in Bengaluru was washed out by rain, according to IANS.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said he would also have chosen to bowl, IANS reported. He said a fresh pitch made his side keen to post a big total, and he praised middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs for the power he adds.
Iyer also said some players had needed time to adjust to the weather and the time difference, but that he had no complaints about the preparation.
Playing XIs
Both line-ups below match the team sheets reported by IANS and India.com shortly after the toss.
- New Zealand: 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: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav.
According to IANS, this is the first time Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy have played a T20I in New Zealand. India.com noted that spinner Varun Chakravarthy and teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi were left out of the XI.
What we know and what we don't know yet
What we know: the toss result, both playing XIs, the venue and the scheduled start time of 07:00 UTC. National anthems were under way at about 07:01 UTC, according to the India.com live blog.
What we don't know yet: the score and the result. At the time of writing (07:00 UTC), the first innings had not started. A T20 international usually lasts about three and a half hours, so a result is likely after 10:00 UTC, unless weather intervenes. This article does not report any score until it can be confirmed from the official scorecard.
India vs New Zealand T20I series schedule
New Zealand Cricket's schedule, published in June and reported by Geo Super, lists five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. That makes it a 12-match tour, which Geo Super described as a record. All T20Is start at 8pm local time, which is 07:00 UTC.
| Match | Date (2026) | Venue | Start (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Thu 22 Oct | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 07:00 |
| 2nd T20I | Sat 24 Oct | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 07:00 |
| 3rd T20I | Tue 27 Oct | Wellington | 07:00 |
| 4th T20I | Fri 30 Oct | Eden Park, Auckland | 07:00 |
| 5th T20I | Sun 1 Nov | Seddon Park, Hamilton | 07:00 |
Source: New Zealand Cricket schedule as reported by Geo Super (3 June 2026), cross-checked with Mykhel. UTC times are converted from 8pm NZDT (UTC+13). After the T20Is, five ODIs run from 4 to 15 November, followed by Tests in Wellington (from 19 November) and Christchurch (from 27 November).
Background
India come in as T20 world champions. In the 2026 T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 8 March, India made 255 for 5 and bowled New Zealand out for 159, winning by 96 runs and keeping their title on home soil. This week's match is the first T20I between the two teams since that final, IANS noted.
India have the better head-to-head record in the format, with 19 wins to New Zealand's 11, according to India.com.
The tour is a major commercial event for New Zealand Cricket. "It simply does not get bigger than India," NZC chief marketing and commercial officer Glenn Critchley said when the schedule was announced, according to Geo Super. Santner said the Christchurch crowd was a sell-out, IANS reported.
What it means
For India, the series is an early test of a reshaped T20I squad under Iyer, playing in cool, bouncy conditions straight after a home series. For New Zealand, it is the first chance to face the side that beat them in the World Cup final. All five matches are played in the same 07:00 UTC slot, which is lunchtime in India and morning in Europe. The second T20I is on Saturday at the same ground, so there is little time to adjust for either side.
Follow more trending stories in our trending section, the latest breaking news, and sport and viral coverage in Culture & Viral. For another big fixture this week, see our preview of Bayern Munich vs Arsenal in the Champions League.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the toss in the NZ vs IND 1st T20I?
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on 22 October 2026 and chose to bowl first, according to IANS and India.com.
What time does the India vs New Zealand T20I start?
All five T20Is start at 8pm New Zealand time, which is 07:00 UTC and 12:30 IST, according to the published schedule.
How many T20Is are India playing in New Zealand?
Five: Christchurch on 22 and 24 October, Wellington on 27 October, Auckland on 30 October and Hamilton on 1 November. Five ODIs and two Tests follow.
Who won the last India vs New Zealand T20 match?
Before this series, the sides last met in a T20I in the 2026 T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad on 8 March, which India won by 96 runs.
Sources
- IANS: 1st T20I, Nitish, Mayank return as India elect to bowl first against New Zealand
- India.com: India vs New Zealand 1st T20I live coverage
- Free Press Journal: Shreyas Iyer wins toss as India elect to bowl first in Christchurch
- Geo Super: New Zealand to host India for record 12-match series in 2026-27
- Mykhel: India tour of New Zealand 2026 schedule and results
- ESPNcricinfo: New Zealand vs India, 1st T20I live score
- Wikipedia: 2026 Men's T20 World Cup final
- Google Trends: trending searches, India
