Fourth T20I between India and New Zealand to take place today in Auckland

Following the loss to the Indian team and subsequent injury, New Zealand's difficulties in the five-match T20 series worsened, as the team trailed by 0-3. It was confirmed that fast bowler Locke Ferguson will be unable to participate in the remaining T20 matches due to injury.

The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced this on Thursday, October 29. During the second T20 match, Ferguson sustained pain in his right calf. Examination revealed a minor muscle strain. Ferguson's recovery is expected to take about a week or longer, so his current focus is on being ready for the upcoming ODI series.

Fast bowler Matt Fisher has been included in the Kiwi squad to replace Ferguson for the two remaining T20 matches. The fourth T20 match between India and New Zealand is scheduled for Friday, October 30, at Eden Park in Auckland.

Additionally, fast bowler Matt Henry also sustained an injury during the second T20 match. He damaged the thigh muscle of his right leg and will require one to two weeks to recover. However, Henry was not originally planning to play in the remaining T20 matches due to planned workload management. There is hope that he will be able to feature in the ODI series.

The team coach, Rob Walter, expressed disappointment regarding the injuries to both athletes. He noted that Locke Ferguson was very happy about the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd at Eden Park, but his focus is now on returning for the ODI series.

Meanwhile, fast bowler Kyle Jamieson will remain in Wellington for workload management. He may play for Canterbury in the Ford Trophy tournament on Saturday, October 31, before joining the New Zealand national team on Monday, November 2. The team will closely monitor the condition of its main fast bowlers before the start of the ODI series.

New Zealand's squad includes Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clark, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Jacari Fallax, Bevan Jackson, Edmil Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Timifert (wicketkeeper), Nathan Smith, and Blair Tickner.

The third T20 match in the series between India and New Zealand will take place at Sky Stadium in Wellington, also known as Cake Tin. The Indian team has already taken the lead by winning the first two out of five scheduled matches. Now New Zealand faces the challenge of saving the series.

Due to Ishan Kishan's absence, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is expected to get another chance to feature in the third spot in the squad.

To get the latest updates and score of this match, it is recommended to regularly refresh the page as it is constantly updated.

The Indian team started 2026 by winning the T20 World Cup title. The team became the first to retain this title for the second time, losing only one match across two tournaments. Nevertheless, after this, India had to concede the series to Ireland. The team also suffered a defeat in the England series. On home soil, without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, the series against West Indies was leveled at 2-2.

However, the situation changed during the tour of New Zealand. Despite the lush fields and strong winds, India won the first two matches against the team that was the World Cup finalist. India has won 9 of the last 10 T20 matches against New Zealand. In previous Test and ODI series, however, New Zealand secured victories.

India benefited from both better execution of fielding plans and poor fielding by New Zealand. The pitch conditions in Wellington will be different; the square boundaries for the fourth and sixth overs are approximately 60 meters away, unlike Christchurch, where stronger wind influence is expected.

New Zealand has lost its last two home series to India and hopes to avoid losing the third consecutive series.

In the first two matches between the teams, New Zealand spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bresshaw combined for 8 wickets, conceding 132 runs in 16 overs. On the other hand, India utilized only one specialist spinner, Axar Patel, who has conceded about 10 runs per over so far.

The uncertainty among Indian batsmen regarding risk when facing spinners also created problems. Tilak Verma showed an average strike rate of 76 against spinners, but 220 against fast bowlers. Sanju Samson and Naman Diri demonstrated greater aggression against spinners. India needs to score faster in the middle order so that batsmen like Tilak are not forced to show a high strike rate only against fast bowlers later.

Ishan Kishan has not fully recovered yet. In this situation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi may get the opportunity to play in the third spot. He played for the Indian team at the Asian Games but has not yet been included in the main squad for this tour.

India adheres to a strategy that does not compromise on the hitting abilities of the top five batsmen. The team preferred Naman Diri over Shivam Dube, although Dube offers the option of additional fast bowling. India does not have a specialized player at number eight who can bat well simultaneously. Therefore, Nitish Kumar Reddy might be included in the squad. Reddy performed well in the 19th over in the previous two matches.

Matt Henry bowled only two overs in the last match, one of which was without conceding any runs. He has now been excluded from the T20 series, considering other formats. Loki Ferguson is excluded only from this match. New Zealand has options in Adam Milne and Blair Tickner for the upcoming matches. Kyle Jamieson may also be included in this match, after which he will compete for the Ford Trophy.

There is a possibility of including a left-handed batsman in New Zealand's top five batsmen, but Bowen Jackson has shown good form until now.

Projected New Zealand squad: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Bowen Jackson/Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bresshaw, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy.

Projected India squad: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Verma, Naman Diri, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.

In the previous T20 International match played in Wellington, the team won by defending 164 runs. However, a target of 216 runs was successfully chased at this ground. It is expected that bowlers will receive assistance at the current venue, but it is not necessarily that the pitch will be slow due to the low score.

Strong winds were present before the match, and there was a possibility of rain. However, it is predicted that the weather during the match will remain more stable, without precipitation and with moderate or strong winds.

Tilak Verma was undefeated 26 times in pursuit of the target in T20, and his team won in each of these matches, which is an important indicator for the Indian team.

Furthermore, Arshdeep Singh took 38 wickets in 2026. He became a full-fledged team player who achieved this result in a calendar year.

The second match of the five-series T20 series between India and New Zealand will be played on October 24th (Saturday). This encounter will take place at Hagley Oval in Christchurch and is scheduled to start at 12:30 Indian time. Previously, the Indian team defeated New Zealand in the first match of this series, winning by four wickets after scoring 226 runs.

Currently, the Indian team, led by Shreyas Iyer, aims to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The composition of the Indian squad for the second T20 is attracting significant attention from fans. Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the match due to injury, opening up an opportunity for 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi to take a spot in the starting XI. With Vaibhav's inclusion, domestic player batsman Sanju Samson might be tested in the third position.

Furthermore, minimal changes are expected in the Indian lineup, as the coaching staff is unlikely to make many adjustments just one match after the first, where Indian bowlers demonstrated high value.

For their part, the New Zealand team may make one adjustment to its squad. There is a possibility of including fast bowler Kyle Jamieson in the starting lineup. If Jamieson plays, fast bowler Adam Milne might be left on the bench.

The possible starting lineup for India in the second T20 includes: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (as a domestic batsman), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Diar, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshadip Singh, and Mayank Yadav.

The projected lineup for New Zealand in the second T20 is: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (as a domestic batsman), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevan Jackson, Michael Bresshaw, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, and Lock Ferguson.

Full squads for both teams have also been provided. In the Indian squad, Ishan Kishan is listed as unavailable for the second match. The New Zealand squad includes players such as Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, and Blair Tickner.

India's schedule against New Zealand includes the first T20 on October 22nd in Christchurch, the second T20 on October 24th in Christchurch, the third T20 on October 27th in Wellington, the fourth T20 on October 30th in Auckland, and the fifth T20 on November 1st in Hamilton. ODI and Test matches follow afterwards.