Match overview
India beat New Zealand by 46 runs in the T20I played at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on 31 January 2026. India won the toss and batted, posting a massive 271/5. Ishan Kishan scored 103 off 43 balls and was named Player of the Match. New Zealand's chase began promisingly, with Finn Allen posting 80 off 38 balls and the powerplay producing 79 runs for 1 wicket, but the middle overs proved fatal: five wickets fell for 92 runs between overs 7 and 15, and Arshdeep Singh's 5/51 ensured the innings folded for 225. The result means India have now won four of their last five T20I encounters against New Zealand in 2026.
The margin of 46 runs flatters New Zealand slightly. Their chase was always compromised by the scale of India's innings. A target of 272 in a T20I is almost unheard of, and at a venue where the average first-innings score is 148 across 20 matches, India's 271/5 placed this fixture in entirely different territory from the outset.
India's innings was built in two distinct phases. The powerplay produced 54 runs for 2 wickets, a reasonable if unspectacular start against a quality New Zealand attack. What followed in the middle overs was extraordinary: 134 runs for 1 wicket from overs 7 to 15, with Kishan driving the acceleration. The death overs added 83 more for 2 wickets, giving India a total New Zealand's bowlers will want to forget quickly.
Venue and conditions
Greenfield International Stadium has hosted 20 T20 internationals. The average first-innings score of 148 and second-innings score of 110 suggest the surface generally plays slower than comparable Indian venues, which makes India's 271/5 all the more striking. A chase success rate of 50 per cent means the ground has historically split evenly, but that figure was compiled from much lower-scoring matches.
The powerplay average at this venue is 42 runs, which both teams exceeded: India scored 54 in the first six overs and New Zealand scored 79. The death-overs average of 29 runs was dwarfed by India's 83 in the final phase. In short, conditions that typically suppress scoring were utterly bypassed. Teams winning the toss have opted to field 55 per cent of the time here, though India bucked that trend by choosing to bat and were vindicated.
Dew is a factor in evening T20Is across Kerala in this period of the year. Batting second in conditions where the ball skids on more quickly can be an advantage, and New Zealand's powerplay of 79 reflected that. The problem was the scale of what they had to chase, not the conditions under which they were chasing it.
How to watch
India vs New Zealand T20I matches are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Streaming is available via Sky Go and NOW TV for subscribers. Check the Sky Sports schedule for specific kick-off times, which for fixtures in India typically fall between 14:00 and 15:00 GMT during the winter months.
For those without a Sky subscription, match highlights and clips are usually available via the respective cricket boards' official social media channels in the hours after play concludes.
Recent form
India's five most recent results coming into this fixture, all against New Zealand in 2026, read: loss, win, win, win, loss. The losses bookend a strong middle run, and this Thiruvananthapuram result adds a further win to a sequence that underlines India's clear advantage in the head-to-head this year.
New Zealand's corresponding form shows two wins from five: wins in the most recent match and the earliest of the five, with three consecutive losses in between. Their 50-run win at Vizag was the high point of an otherwise difficult run against India in 2026, and the Thiruvananthapuram defeat continues that difficult stretch. The series between these sides has been competitive enough in individual matches, but India's overall depth and home conditions have tipped the balance consistently. The two sides will likely meet again in the coming months, and New Zealand will need their bowlers to find a way of keeping India's top order quieter than they managed here.
