Match: India vs New Zealand (IND vs NZ)
Date: January 27, Friday, 7.30 PM IST
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
India and New Zealand will go head to head in the first T20I of the three-match series at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday, January 27.
India will be captained by Hardik Pandya in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who has been rested. Last year too, Pandya had captained India against the Black Caps. Prithvi Shaw has been recalled to the Indian team after a long time and will be looking to make the most of the opportunity. Shivam Mavi did well in the series against Sri Lanka earlier this month and will look to impress against the Kiwis as well. Meanwhile, India also boast of an in-form Suryakumar Yadav in their ranks – he was ICC’s T20 Player of the Year in 2022. In the bowling department, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be the key players.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will be captained by Mitchell Santner as both Kane Williamson and Tim Southee have not travelled to India for the series. Devon Conway and Michael Bracewell, both of whom scored hundreds in the ODI series will be looking to carry the good form into the T20 series.
Ahead of the opening T20I match, let’s look at the head to head of both the teams, pitch report, weather update, top picks for your MPL fantasy team and more.
Weather update and pitch report for IND vs NZ, 1st T20I
The pitch in Ranchi has historically been an excellent one for batting and we are likely in for another high-scoring match on Friday. Winning the toss and fielding first should be the ideal choice.
Overall, a total of three T20I matches have been played at this venue in the past – two of which were won by the teams fielding first. The average first innings total is 155. The highest and lowest T20I total recorded in Ranchi is 196 for 6 and 155 for 3. India have won all three T20Is played in Ranchi so far, including one against New Zealand in November 2021.
The weather in Ranchi will be mostly pleasant and the skies clear. The temperature will fluctuate between 21 to 26 degrees.
India team news and predicted XI
Team news: the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been rested for this series. Meanwhile, one between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal may get to be in the playing XI, but it is likely going to be the former.
Squad: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.
Predicted XI: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Umran Malik, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand team news and predicted XI
Team news: Ish Sodhi, who failed to recover in time from an ankle injury he suffered during the third ODI in Karachi, was ruled out of the ODI series against India, but has returned for the T20I series. In absence of Boult and Southee, who have not travelled to India for this series, Ben Lister could be in line for a debut.
Squad: Kane Williamson, Tom Latham (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
Predicted XI: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Blair Tickner, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Ben Lister, 11 Lockie Ferguson
Head to head record
In the 20-over format, India and New Zealand are almost neck-and-neck in the head-to-head total. India have won 12 out of 22 games, while New Zealand have won 11 of those.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI IND vs NZ, 1st T20I
Virat Kohli – batsman, India
The former India captain is in the form of his life currently. He smashed 166* off 110 in the last ODI match against Sri Lanka and scored 283 runs from three innings at an average of 141.50 in the series. He has scored three hundreds from his last four ODIs and is thus a good choice for your MPL team’s captaincy for this game.
Tom Latham – wicketkeeper batsman, New Zealand
New Zealand’s stand-in captain for this tour, Tom Latham scored an unbeaten 145 off 104 during the first ODI of India’s tour to New Zealand late last year. Against Pakistan more recently, he scored 60 runs from three innings and will be looking to bounce back to form against India.
Shubman Gill – batsman, India
India’s opening batsman Shubman Gill scored 116 off 97 in the third ODI against Sri Lanka and 76 off 60 in the first game of the series. In all, Gill has scored 894 runs from just 18 ODIs at an impressive average of 59.60.
Devon Conway – batsman, New Zealand
The Kiwi opener scored 153 runs from three innings, including a century and a half-century against Pakistan on the recent tour. In all, he has scored 578 runs from just 14 ODIs and will be looking to carry the form and momentum in the series against India.
Mohammed Siraj – bowler, India
The right-arm pacer was India’s best bowler in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Siraj picked up nine wickets from just three innings, including four wickets in the last match.
MPL fantasy XI – IND vs NZ, 1st T20I
IND vs NZ – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The India vs New Zealand first T20I will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app. The match will begin at 7.30 PM IST on January 27.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
