India will square off against New Zealand in the 5th T20I of the New Zealand tour of India, 2026 scheduled to be played on Saturday, 31st January at 7:00 PM IST. The match will take place at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Check out the best Dream11 team tips, player stats, pitch report, top fantasy picks and dream11 prediction team for today’s IND vs NZ clash.
Match Preview
New Zealand finally found a way to break India’s winning momentum with a convincing 70 run victory in the fourth game. Batting first, they posted an imposing total of 215 runs, with the openers playing a crucial role by adding 100 runs for the first wicket in just 8.2 overs. Further down the order, Daryl Mitchell launched a counter attack against the Indian bowlers, scoring a quick 39 off just 18 deliveries.
In reply, India, who had looked solid with the bat throughout the series, suffered an early blow as Abhishek Sharma was dismissed on the very first ball of the innings. From there, the chase never really gathered momentum as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. Rinku Singh fought back with a 39 run knock, while Shivam Dube provided some late entertainment with a rapid 65 off just 23 balls, but the target was always out of reach.
India were unable to bat through the full 20 overs and will be hoping for a much improved performance in the final game. New Zealand, despite having already lost the series, will be keen to finish the tour on a high note.
Shivam Dube stands out as the top choice for the captaincy role following his explosive 65 run innings and his contributions with the ball, having already picked up three wickets in the series. Mitchell Santner, who has scored 105 runs and claimed four wickets for New Zealand, shapes up as the leading option for the vice captaincy role.
Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram Pitch Report
*The stats are based on the T20I matches played at Greenfield International Stadium.
| Pitch type – Generally balanced / batter-friendly |
| Batting 1st Won – 4 matches |
| Batting 2nd Won – 3 matches |
| Average 1st innings score – 155 runs |
IND vs NZ Probable Playing XI
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand: Tim Seifert(w), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
IND vs NZ Dream11 Player Stats
| Player Name | T20 Series Stats |
|---|---|
| Suryakumar Yadav | 179 runs |
| Shivam Dube | 110 runs & 3 wickets |
| Glenn Phillips | 169 runs |
| Mitchell Santner | 105 runs & 4 wickets |
| Abhishek Sharma | 152 runs |
| Hardik Pandya | 27 runs & 4 wickets |
IND vs NZ Dream11 Team
