New Zealand vs India, 3rd T20I 2026 – Match Info
Cricket
- Starts
- October 27, 2026 · 6:00 pm
- Teams
- New Zealand vs India
- Venue
- Hnry Stadium, Wellington •
- Where to watch
- Streaming: SonyLIV, TV:Sony Sports Network
New Zealand and India meet in the third T20 International at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, starting at 8:00 PM local time — 12:30 PM IST. India lead the five-match series 2-0, having won both matches at Hagley Oval by four wickets, each time in the final over.
New Zealand must win to keep the series alive. Both sides arrive with reshuffled squads: New Zealand have made changes to manage bowling workloads before a five-match ODI series, while India are without Ishan Kishan for a third consecutive match.
This page covers the confirmed match details, both squads, the venue, match timings across three time zones and where to watch in India.
New Zealand vs India 3rd T20I – Match Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | New Zealand v India, 3rd T20 International |
| Series | India tour of New Zealand, 2026-27 (five T20Is) |
| Date | Tuesday, 27 October 2026 |
| Start time | 8:00 PM local · 7:00 AM GMT · 12:30 PM IST |
| Venue | Hnry Stadium |
| City | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Umpires | Chris Brown and Cory Black |
| Third umpire | Shaun Haig |
| Match referee | Ranjan Madugalle |
| Series status | India lead 2-0 |
Match officials are rotated through a series and are listed here as published in the official match information.
New Zealand Squad for the 3rd T20I
New Zealand Cricket announced changes on 25 October covering the final three T20Is. The squad available for this match is 14 players.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Mitchell Santner | Captain, left-arm spin |
| Tim Seifert | Wicketkeeper-batter |
| Finn Allen | Batter |
| Devon Conway | Batter |
| Daryl Mitchell | Batter |
| Glenn Phillips | Batter |
| Bevon Jacobs | Batter |
| Michael Bracewell | All-rounder |
| Nathan Smith | All-rounder |
| Jacob Duffy | Bowler |
| Kyle Jamieson | Bowler |
| Adam Milne | Bowler |
| Blair Tickner | Bowler |
| Matthew Fisher | Bowler (cover for this match) |
Support staff: Rob Walter (head coach), Luke Ronchi, Jacob Oram and James Foster.
Why the New Zealand squad has changed
Three players from the original squad are unavailable for this fixture. Lockie Ferguson has been released to Auckland and returns for the fourth and fifth T20Is. Matt Henry remains in Christchurch and joins the ODI squad on 2 November. Josh Clarkson becomes available for the final two matches rather than this one.
Matthew Fisher has been added as cover for this match only and will then rejoin the New Zealand A squad. Head coach Rob Walter described the approach as using squad depth to “help manage our pacers workloads” ahead of the five-match ODI series that follows.
India Squad for the 3rd T20I
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Shreyas Iyer | Captain, batter |
| Tilak Varma | Vice-captain, batter |
| Sanju Samson | Wicketkeeper-batter |
| Kumar Kushagra | Wicketkeeper-batter |
| Abhishek Sharma | Batter |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Batter |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| Naman Dhir | All-rounder |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| Axar Patel | All-rounder, left-arm spin |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Left-arm wrist spin |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Mystery spin |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler |
| Arshdeep Singh | Bowler |
| Prince Yadav | Bowler |
| Mayank Yadav | Bowler |
Support staff: Gautam Gambhir (head coach), Sitanshu Kotak, Morne Morkel, Sairaj Bahutule and Subhadeep Ghosh.
Ishan Kishan ruled out again
Ishan Kishan misses a third consecutive match with a low-grade right adductor strain picked up in the series opener. The BCCI confirmed on 26 October that he has not yet regained match fitness and is unavailable for this fixture; no return date has been given.
Kumar Kushagra, who joined the squad as cover before the second T20I, retains his place. India therefore travel to Wellington with two wicketkeepers in the squad. Who takes the gloves is a selection decision for the toss — Sanju Samson kept in both matches at Christchurch.
Note that the lists above are squads, not playing XIs. Neither side has announced its team.
Hnry Stadium, Wellington – Venue Guide
Hnry Stadium is a multi-purpose bowl about a kilometre north of Wellington’s central business district, next to the city’s railway station, on reclaimed former railway land. It opened on 3 January 2000 and is known throughout New Zealand by its nickname, the Cake Tin, which the circular aluminium exterior earns without much argument.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Official name | Wellington Regional Stadium |
| Current naming rights | Hnry Stadium, from 1 March 2026 (five-year deal) |
| Previous names | Sky Stadium (2020-2026), Westpac Stadium (2002-2019), WestpacTrust Stadium (2000-2002) |
| Opened | 3 January 2000 |
| Capacity | 34,500 |
| Ends | Scoreboard End and City End |
| Cricket | International limited-overs matches — New Zealand men and the White Ferns |
| Rugby tenants | Hurricanes (Super Rugby) and Wellington Lions (NPC), both since 2000 |
Its cricket history is entirely white-ball. The ground has staged 30 internationals since 2000 — 14 ODIs and 16 T20Is — beginning with a men’s ODI against West Indies in January 2000, and it hosted four matches at the 2015 World Cup including a quarter-final. Test cricket in Wellington is played at the Basin Reserve, which also hosts the first Test of this same tour on 19 November.
One correction worth making, because it appears in a lot of preview copy: the Wellington Firebirds no longer play domestic cricket here. They have not done so since 2017, and the Basin Reserve is their home ground. Hnry Stadium’s cricket is now international limited-overs only, which is part of why a T20I here is a genuine occasion rather than a routine fixture.
For rugby, it is one of New Zealand’s principal venues — home to the Hurricanes and the Wellington Lions since it opened, a regular All Blacks ground, and the long-time host of the Wellington Sevens.
Pitch Report and Ground Conditions
No verified pitch report, surface assessment or weather forecast was available for this fixture at the time of writing, and none is offered here.
What can be stated is a matter of record: this is a rugby stadium that stages limited-overs cricket, it has hosted 16 T20 Internationals, and the series so far has produced two high-scoring matches at a different ground, Hagley Oval. None of that tells you how this pitch will play.
A pitch report will be published by the broadcaster shortly before the toss, and this page will be updated once conditions are confirmed. Anything written before then is guesswork.
New Zealand vs India 3rd T20I – Live Streaming and TV Broadcast
In India, the series is carried by Sony Sports Network on television, with live streaming on SonyLIV. Coverage is also listed on DD Sports.
- Television: Sony Sports Network
- Live streaming: SonyLIV, via the app or sonyliv.com
- Also listed: DD Sports
- Commentary: English and Hindi feeds
Live sport on SonyLIV requires a subscription that includes sport. Broadcast rights belong to the host board and vary from series to series, so check the channel listing on the day rather than assuming an arrangement from a previous tour.
Match Timings in Different Time Zones
New Zealand observes New Zealand Daylight Time (UTC+13) in late October, which places Wellington 7 hours 30 minutes ahead of India.
| Location | Start time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Wellington (NZDT) | 8:00 PM | Tuesday 27 October |
| GMT / UTC | 7:00 AM | Tuesday 27 October |
| India (IST) | 12:30 PM | Tuesday 27 October |
The match falls on the same calendar date in all three, so there is no date shift for Indian viewers. The toss is expected about half an hour before the first ball.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the New Zealand vs India 3rd T20I in 2026?
Tuesday, 27 October 2026. The match starts at 8:00 PM local time in Wellington, which is 12:30 PM Indian Standard Time and 7:00 AM GMT.
Where will the third T20I between New Zealand and India be played?
At Hnry Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand — officially the Wellington Regional Stadium, and widely known as the Cake Tin.
What time does the New Zealand vs India match start in India?
12:30 PM IST on Tuesday 27 October, with the toss roughly thirty minutes earlier. The match falls on the same date in India as in New Zealand.
Who is listed as New Zealand’s captain?
Mitchell Santner captains New Zealand, with Tim Seifert named as wicketkeeper in the squad.
Who is listed as India’s captain?
Shreyas Iyer captains India, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. The squad contains two wicketkeepers, Sanju Samson and Kumar Kushagra.
Who are the umpires for the third T20I?
Chris Brown and Cory Black are the on-field umpires, as listed in the official match information. Officials are rotated during a series, so confirm on match day.
Who is the third umpire?
Shaun Haig is the third umpire, with Ranjan Madugalle as match referee.
Where can viewers watch the match live in India?
On Sony Sports Network on television and SonyLIV for live streaming, with coverage also listed on DD Sports. A SonyLIV plan that includes sport is required for the stream.
What is the capacity of Hnry Stadium?
34,500. A figure of around 37,000 is sometimes quoted, but that relates to a 2017 football fixture with temporary seating installed, not the standard capacity.
Where is Hnry Stadium located?
About one kilometre north of Wellington’s central business district, beside the city’s railway station, on reclaimed former railway land.
What to Watch For
India arrive 2-0 up having won both matches in the final over, which flatters neither side’s bowling and says a good deal about how close the cricket has been. New Zealand’s changes are not a reaction to those defeats but a scheduled rotation ahead of the ODI series, which means the side that takes the field in Wellington will again look slightly different from the one beaten at Hagley Oval.
For India, the question is whether a top order that has twice been rescued by its middle order can start better. For New Zealand, it is simply a must-win match: lose, and the series is gone with two to play.
Follow our cricket section for the toss, the confirmed playing XIs, live scorecard and full match report.
Published: 26 October 2026. Match date, start times, squad changes and venue details have been verified against official announcements and published records. Playing XIs, the pitch report and weather are not confirmed before the toss and are not speculated upon here.