Last Updated on 3 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey

Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand travel to Wellington perhaps in shock that they are 2-0 down in the T20I series against India. They lost the first encounter despite scoring 225, before losing the second with India needing 46 off the final three overs.

India’s two victories highlight their depth in T20Is. After having the time for just one training before the first match, Shreyas Iyer’s team have found ways to win under pressure. In the first match, Naman Dhir ensured Sanju Samson’s effort didn’t go to waste. In the second, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy pulled off a superb chase when India looked gone.

High on the agenda for New Zealand is fielding improvement. That aspect is usually their strongest point, but they have been uncharacteristically sloppy in this series. Dropped catches and misfields have proved costly, and they must improve in Wellington if they are to keep the series alive.

“I think if you look at the skills of both teams, it’s been very close and it’s come down to some small moments in the field. Especially us [at] the back end of that chase tonight,” said Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner, as quoted by Cricinfo.

“I think we were in a very good position, you know, [before] a couple of dropped catches and misfields. And that’s the winning or losing of the game.”

NZ vs IND 3rd T20 2026 Possible Playing XIs: Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson unavailable for New Zealand

Expect Kyle Jamieson to play in this match with Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson unavailable.

New Zealand: 1. Finn Allen, 2. Tim Seifert (wk), 3. Daryl Mitchell, 4. Glenn Phillips, 5. Bevon Jacobs, 6. Michael Bracewell, 7. Mitchell Santner (c), 8. Nathan Smith, 9. Kyle Jamieson, 10. Adam Milne, 11. Jacob Duffy

Ishan Kishan has reportedly not full recovered yet, so Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set to get another opportunity at number three.

India: 1. Abhishek Sharma, 2. Sanju Samson (wk), 3. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 4. Shreyas Iyer (c), 5. Tilak Varma, 6. Naman Dhir, 7. Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Prince Yadav, 11. Arshdeep Singh

Hnry Stadium Wellington Pitch Report and Weather: Conditions should be clear for the match

Rain fell on Tuesday morning in Wellington but conditions will be clear in the evening. Temperatures will drop to a cool 11 degrees during the match hours with wind gusts of around 20 km/h.

Chasing teams have won 66.7% of men’s T20Is at Hnry Stadium since the start of 2016. Earlier this year, South Africa beat New Zealand after scoring 164/5 batting first, but that was an end-of-season match. Expect a fresh pitch for this encounter.

Left-arm orthodox spinners have performed well here since 2016, with an average of 16 and economy rate of under seven. Pace bowlers concede over eight an over at an average of 25. Offspinners conceded about 8.50 per over at an average of 35.

NZ vs IND 3rd T20 2026 Fantasy Cricket Tips: Will the batters dominate?

Top wicket-keeper picks:

• Tim Seifert has scored 291 runs in T20Is on this ground at an average of 58.20 and strike rate of 168.21. He has three fifties in seven innings.
• Sanju Samson hit a player-of-the-match 67 off 33 balls in the first T20I. His battle against the tall New Zealand seamers is one to watch.

Key batter picks:

• Glenn Phillips is in terrific form. He’s smashed 152 runs at a strike rate of 183.13 so far in this series. He is a must-pick in Dream11 fantasy cricket.
• Finn Allen has scored 2,520 runs at an average of 31.1 and strike rate of 186.7 in all T20s since the start of 2025. In two T20s at Hnry Stadium, Allen has struck scores of 32 (17) and 27 (12).
• Abhishek Sharma has seven 20+ scores in his last eight T20Is. He has crossed 30 just twice in this period, hitting a 60+ score both times. If he gets going here, he can take the game away from New Zealand quickly.

Top all-rounder picks:

• Mitchell Santner was outstanding in the second T20I (4/21) and he has a good record in T20Is at Hnry Stadium: 9 inns, 13 wickets, avg. 15.77, econ. 6.21.
• Axar Patel can be a good Dream11 pick at a ground where left-arm spinners have performed well at in recent years. Axar can also be promoted up the batting order when needed.

Key bowler picks:

• Arshdeep Singh is India’s leading wicket-taker this series (3). The left-armer has taken 20 wickets in 12 T20Is against New Zealand. He bowls in the crunch overs and offers Dream11 fantasy value as a result.
• It is worth picking at least one of Jacob Duffy or Kyle Jamieson. Both will look to test India with their height and ability to get the ball to rise off a length.

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Teams

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
• Nitish Kumar Reddy or Naman Dhir.
• Shreyas Iyer.
• Daryl Mitchell.
• Bevon Jacobs.
• Michael Bracewell.

Other Stats and Important Matchups

• Head-to-head: Matches 33, New Zealand 11, India 21, one tie.
• Bevon Jacobs has hit 89 runs in this series to date at a strike rate of 143.54.
• Naman Dhir is striking at 228.12 in this T20I series.
• Michael Bracewell is key against India’s left-handers. He has conceded just three runs off seven balls against Abhishek Sharma, and has dismissed him twice.
• Jacob Duffy vs. Sanju Samson in all T20s: 18 balls, 22 runs, two wickets.
• Mitchell Santner vs. Sanju Samson in all T20s: 36 balls, 27 runs, four wickets.
• Axar Patel vs. Finn Allen in all T20s: 28 balls, 46 runs, three wickets.
• Arshdeep Singh vs. Finn Allen in all T20s: 40 balls, 78 runs, one wicket.
• Axar Patel vs. Daryl Mitchell in all T20s: 35 balls, 46 runs, three wickets.

NZ vs IND 3rd T20 Dream11 Prediction October 27 2026

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2: