Following an Abhishek Sharma led stunner that saw India emerge victorious over New Zealand in the opening game of the ongoing T20I series, team India is set to lock horns with the young blackcaps again on January 23 (Friday) at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.
The contest is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST, under lights, with Raipur set to witness a powerful clash between two aggressive T20 outfits.
India stormed into a 1-0 series lead after a commanding win in the opening T20I at Nagpur, where New Zealand’s daunting chase of 239 never really took flight. Early breakthroughs, including a sensational piece of fielding by Sanju Samson, derailed the Black Caps’ chase.
Despite a fighting 68 from Glenn Phillips, New Zealand eventually stumbled to 190/7 in 20 overs. India’s Abishek Sharma was recognised as the player of the match in the post game ceremony for his stormy 85 off 35 that helped India post a strong target of 239.
IND vs NZ 2026: When and where to watch
Fans in India can catch the action live on television across all the Star Sports channels and D sports. Interested digital viewers can stream the match on JioHotstar across mobile, tablet, and desktop platforms.
India eyes unbeaten campaign ahead of the T20 World Cup
With momentum on their side, Suryakumar Yadav’s Men in Blue will look to press harder in Raipur to stretch their advantage in the series. The head-to-head numbers also favour India in T20Is, adding further confidence going into the contest.
Suryakumar Yadav’s men are yet to lose a T20I series since their victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign and would be looking to keep themselves unbeaten with another edition of the tournament coming up.
For New Zealand, the second T20I is all about bounce-back. With explosive hitters in their lineup, the blackcaps will look to level the series in the upcoming fixture.
With World Cup ambitions fueling the preparation for both sides, the upcoming fixture is expected by many to be a high-octane clash.