Team India is all set to host New Zealand for a three-match One-Day International series, which will also be followed by an assignment of five T20Is. This
will be the first international schedule for both the sides in 2026, as the series will be commencing on January 11 with the first 50-over contest, set to be played in Vadodara, for which the hosts are yet to announce their squad.
If the reports are to be believed, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will be picking India's squad for the ODI series on or before Sunday, January 4. Speaking of changes, captain Shubman Gill is all set to return to leading the side once again, as KL Rahul had led the Men in Blue to a 2-1 win in the recently-concluded series against South Africa. Meanwhile, the update on vice-captain Shreyas Iyer's return is currently awaited.
According to The Times of India, the Indian team will be picked on or before Saturday, where Agarkar and his panel of selectors will be meeting the skipper Shubman Gill via a video-conference. Gill, who will be with Punjab for their Round 5 match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 on Saturday, will not be able to make himself physically available for the meeting.
Kiwis lock their units
The BlackCaps, meanwhile, have already locked their squads for both ODIs and the 20-over matches, which will be led by all-rounder Michael Bracewell for the one-dayers. Mainstay skipper Mitchell Santner is going to miss the ODIs, and will be return to leading the side for the T20Is only.
New Zealand ODI squad: Michael Bracewell (c), Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young
New Zealand T20I squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi
India ready for T20Is
India, on the other hand, have already named their squad for the five T20Is. The same 15-member unit will also be seen featuring in the T20 World Cup, which will follow the home series. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side will begin their campaign and host Santner & Co. starting January 21 in Nagpur for the first T20I at the VCA Stadium.
India T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy
IND vs NZ 2026 — Schedule, Dates, Timings, Venues & More
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| January 11 | 1st ODI | Baroda Cricket Association Stadium, Vadodara | 1:30 PM |
| January 14 | 2nd ODI | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | 1:30 PM |
| January 18 | 3rd ODI | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore | 1:30 PM |
| January 21 | 1st T20I | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 7:00 PM |
| January 23 | 2nd T20I | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur | 7:00 PM |
| January 25 | 3rd T20I | Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati | 7:00 PM |
| January 28 | 4th T20I | Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 7:00 PM |
| January 31 | 5th T20I | Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram | 7:00 PM |
