A glance at the New Zealand players who are unavailable for the India T20I series
After registering a historic ODI series win in India, New Zealand will next take on the opposition for five 20-over fixtures. The IND vs NZ T20Is will begin on January 21 and play a pivotal role in both sides’ preparations for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
But the visitors will miss many of their prominent figures in the series. While some of them are sidelined due to injuries, others are currently featuring in the T20 tournaments of Australia and New Zealand.
Let’s check out which Black Caps players are set to miss out on participating in the India vs New Zealand T20Is.
Lockie Ferguson is yet to recover from his calf injury that the pacer had sustained during his International League T20 (ILT20) stint. The Desert Vipers’ captain had suffered the setback during their reverse fixture against the MI Emirates. The injury had also sidelined him from the BBL 2025.
However, the 34-year-old is on a casual playing agreement with the New Zealand cricket board. Ferguson’s last appearance for the Kiwis came in November 2024, during the second T20I in Sri Lanka.
Adam Milne is another pacer who will not be available for the India T20I series.
The player was representing the Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) in the SA20 2026. But he sustained a hamstring injury during their last league-stage match facing the MI Cape Town. Milne was forced to leave the field after just three deliveries of his first over in the clash.
Finn Allen is currently enrolled on a casual playing contract with the New Zealand cricket board. The swashbuckling opener is participating in the BBL 2025 for the Perth Scorchers and is not part of the squad touring India. He is carrying on a blazing form in the tournament, notching up 430 runs in 10 matches at a blistering strike rate of 186.14.
With 37 over-boundaries, the second-highest run-getter of the league so far has also broken the record for most sixes in a single BBL season. Allen’s heroics also include a 53-ball 101 against the Melbourne Renegades.
Tim Seifert is also on a casual playing contract with the board to focus more on T20 leagues around the world. The wicketkeeper-batter is currently representing the Renegades in Australia’s T20 tournament and is not part of the New Zealand squad touring India.
He has scored 285 runs in 10 fixtures so far, including a match-winning century against the defending champions, Brisbane Heat.
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Will O’Rourke is another seamer that New Zealand will miss in the 20-over series. The youngster sustained a stress fracture on his back during the Test series against Zimbabwe in July 2025. Since then, the bowler is yet to return to action.
However, he possesses decent stats in his limited appearances in the format, snaring seven scalps in as many matches at an impressive economy of 6.96.
The Black Caps speedster picked up an injury on his left shoulder during the second home Test against the West Indies. Blair Tickner had claimed a stunning four-wicket haul in the red-ball fixture before being stretchered off the field. But he has recently made a comeback into the action.
Playing for the Central Stags, the seamer snared two wickets and conceded only 24 runs against the Auckland Aces in the Super Smash 2026. However, the bowler has not been in New Zealand’s T20I scheme of things recently, with his last appearance in the format coming in 2023.
Ben Sears is another fast bowler in their list of omissions for the New Zealand vs India T20Is. He has recently returned to action in the Super Smash after sustaining a hamstring injury in October 2025.
Though he had managed only four wickets in his last five T20Is, the 27-year-old has made a brilliant comeback in New Zealand’s 20-over league. With 11 scalps in eight matches, Sears is currently tied with Ben Lockrose as the tournament’s third-highest wicket-taker so far.
The all-rounder led the side in the recently concluded ODI series in usual captain Mitchell Santner’s absence. But Michael Bracewell suffered a left calf injury while fielding during the series decider in Indore, which kept him in the sidelines during the remaining match.
However, he features in the Kiwi squad for the upcoming five T20Is, and the severity of his injury is yet to be known.
Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, and Ish Sodhi.
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