The second T20I of the ongoing five-match series between India and New Zealand will be played on Friday, January 23. For the match scheduled to take place at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International
Stadium in Raipur, Indian team management could make one forced change to the playing XI. In place of vice-captain Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav could come into India’s playing XI. Axar suffered a finger injury while bowling his last over in the first T20I on Wednesday (January 21), and due to that, he left the field.
The BCCI is yet to share an unofficial update about Axar’s recovery from the injury, but keeping the T20 World Cup 2026 in mind, the Indian team management would not want to risk Axar if he is not 100% fit.
Kuldeep, who has picked up 90 wickets in 50 T20Is played so far, was India’s highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2025. He played all seven matches for the Men in Blue in the premier continental event and dismissed 17 batters.
He was surprisingly left out of India’s playing XI for the first T20I, and that decision raised a few eyebrows. Apart from Kuldeep, the Indian team management also have the option to pick Harshit Rana as Axar’s replacement.
Unlike Kuldeep, Harshit is a fast bowler who, like Axar, can also contribute with the bat. In the third and final ODI of the India-New Zealand series on Sunday (January 18), Harshit impressed with his batting in Indore and even scored a half-century.
In the first T20I, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan failed to impress with their batting performances, and they would like to come up with a big show with the bat in the second T20I.
Shreyas Iyer is also part of India’s T20I squad for the first three matches, but he is unlikely to get a chance to be part of India’s playing XI in the 2nd T20I.
India’s likely playing XI for 2nd T20I against New Zealand: Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
