India and New Zealand meet in the 4th T20I at Eden Park, Auckland on Friday, 30 October 2026, starting at 12:30 PM IST. India lead the five-match series 3-0 after winning in Wellington, so the series is already decided. This preview covers the series form, how Eden Park has played in recent T20Is, probable playing XIs, captain picks and our pre-match view, with every source listed at the end.
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Captains: Shreyas Iyer leads India in the T20Is and Mitchell Santner leads New Zealand. Start times are from the published series schedule; check the broadcaster’s listing on match day. Confirmed playing XIs are announced at the toss, about 30 minutes before the start.
| Match | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I22 October 2026 | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | India won by 4 wicketsNZ 225/4 (20) · IND 230/6 (19.4) |
| 2nd T20I24 October 2026 | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | India won by 4 wicketsNZ 180/5 (20) · IND 181/6 (19.5) |
| 3rd T20I27 October 2026 | Hnry Stadium, Wellington | India won by 6 wicketsNZ 198/3 (20) · IND 199/4 (13.2) |
| 4th T20I30 October 2026 | Eden Park, Auckland | Upcoming |
| 5th T20I1 November 2026 | Seddon Park, Hamilton | Upcoming |
India have won all three games batting second: 226 in the opener, their highest successful T20I chase, 181 with one ball to spare in the second match, and 199 in 13.2 overs in Wellington, where Abhishek Sharma made 113 off 38 balls. Shreyas Iyer has won all three tosses and chosen to bowl each time. New Zealand have made 180 or more in every match but have not yet defended a total.
| Player | Series so far | What it tells us |
|---|---|---|
| Abhishek SharmaIndia | 29, 27 (21) and 113 (38) | 169 runs; reached his hundred in 35 balls in Wellington |
| Glenn PhillipsNew Zealand | 82* (40), 70 (43) and 17 (14) | 169 runs, out twice |
| Daryl MitchellNew Zealand | 89* (52) in the 3rd T20I | Fifty in 26 balls, then an unbroken 75 with Bevon Jacobs |
| Mitchell SantnerNew Zealand | 2/39, 4/21 and 1/17 | Seven wickets for 77 runs in 11 overs |
| Vaibhav SooryavanshiIndia | 45 (19) opening in the 3rd T20I | Shared a 133-run stand in 7.1 overs with Abhishek |
| Bevon JacobsNew Zealand | 31 (16), 58 (46) and 39* (23) | 128 runs, out twice |
| Sanju SamsonIndia | 67 (33), 14 (17) and 18 (13) | Set up the 226 chase in the opener |
| Naman DhirIndia | 42*, 31 (17) and 4* (1) | 77 runs, out once |
Mitchell Santner has been New Zealand’s most effective bowler, with seven wickets for 77 runs in 11 overs; in Wellington he conceded 17 in three overs while the rest of the attack went for 181 in 10.2. India’s openers decided that match: Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on 133 in 7.1 overs, and India’s 118/0 in the powerplay was a T20I record, according to Cricinfo. ANI’s preview of the 3rd T20I also pointed to Tilak Varma’s series strike rate of 76 against spin, compared with 220 against pace.
Eden Park is Auckland’s main stadium and seats 42,000 for cricket. Players, including Kane Williamson in 2018, have called it a small ground for T20 cricket, and the T20Is with published scorecards below show why chasing sides have been comfortable there.
| Date | Match | Batting first | Chase and result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Feb 2018 | New Zealand v Australia | NZ 243/6 | AUS 245/5 · Australia won by 5 wickets |
| 24 Jan 2020 | New Zealand v India | NZ 203/5 | IND 204/4 in 19 overs · India won by 6 wickets |
| 26 Jan 2020 | New Zealand v India | NZ 132/5 | IND 135/3 in 17.3 overs · India won by 7 wickets |
| 21 Mar 2025 | New Zealand v Pakistan | NZ 204 | PAK 207/1 in 16 overs · Pakistan won by 9 wickets |
What it means for the 4th T20I: the chasing side won all four matches above, three of them with targets above 200. A captain who wins the toss is likely to bowl first, as Shreyas Iyer has done all three times in this series. A small playing area rewards batters who hit straight and punishes length errors at the death, so we give extra weight to top-order batters and to the bowlers who will bowl the last four overs.
The match starts at 8:00 PM local time. Check the MetService Auckland forecast before you finalise a team: rain can reduce the overs, and a shortened game rewards batters who score from the first ball.
The XI that won the 2nd and 3rd T20Is, in the order they batted in Wellington. With the series won, India may rotate: Shivam Dube, Mayank Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the squad players outside this XI, and Ishan Kishan’s return depends on his fitness.
Based on the 3rd T20I XI, with Lockie Ferguson and Nathan Smith returning for Kyle Jamieson, who leaves for Ford Trophy duty, and Matthew Fisher. Blair Tickner and Josh Clarkson are the other options.
Confirmed playing XIs are announced at the toss, about 30 minutes before the start.
India named an unchanged XI in Wellington. Ishan Kishan missed the 2nd and 3rd T20Is with a low-grade right adductor strain; the BCCI said on 26 October that he was recovering well but had not regained match fitness, and Kumar Kushagra joined the squad as cover. No changes for Auckland had been announced when we checked.
New Zealand made three changes in Wellington: Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson sat out as expected and Nathan Smith was left out, with Adam Milne, Kyle Jamieson and Matthew Fisher coming in. Henry (tight calf) is out of the remaining T20Is and rejoins for the ODIs. Ferguson’s absence was put down to workload management and precautionary scans, and he is expected back for Auckland and Hamilton. Jamieson leaves for Ford Trophy duty after the 3rd T20I; Blair Tickner is in the squad for the last three games and Josh Clarkson for the last two.
Abhishek reached 50 in 15 balls and 100 in 35 in Wellington, where Jacob Duffy’s first over cost 26. Cricinfo counts seven overs of 20 or more runs for India in this series and none for New Zealand, so New Zealand’s opening overs at a small ground matter more than usual.
Glenn Phillips has 169 runs in the series and Daryl Mitchell made 89* off 52 in Wellington. New Zealand were 88/1 after eight overs there before India’s seamers switched to full, straight lengths and slowed the scoring. Whether they can repeat that on a smaller ground will shape New Zealand’s total.
Santner has seven wickets in 11 overs at an economy rate of 7.0 in a high-scoring series. Tilak Varma has scored far more freely against pace than spin in this series (strike rate 220 against 76, per ANI), so the overs Santner and Michael Bracewell bowl between 7 and 15 could matter if India lose early wickets.
| Pick | Player | Why | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Abhishek Sharma (IND) | 169 runs in the series, including 113 off 38 balls in Wellington; opens on a small ground. | Scored 29 and 27 in Christchurch; his all-out attacking style can mean a short innings. |
| Captain, alternative | Glenn Phillips (NZ) | 169 runs in the series, plus a part-time spin option. | Out for 17 in Wellington; bats in the middle order. |
| Vice-captain | Mitchell Santner (NZ) | Seven wickets in three games at an economy rate of 7.0. | Spinners can concede heavily on small grounds. |
| Vice-captain, alternative | Daryl Mitchell (NZ) | 89* off 52 balls in Wellington, batting from the second over. | His scoring slowed sharply after his 26-ball fifty there. |
| Differential | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (IND) | 45 off 19 balls when he opened in Wellington. | His batting position has moved during the series, and India may rotate. |
| Differential | Nitish Kumar Reddy (IND) | Bats in the lower middle order and bowls seam; took Finn Allen’s wicket in Wellington. | Fewer overs if India pick a second spinner. |
These are editorial picks based on the series form above; confirm every player at the toss. Points follow the rules of the contest you join. For the recorded COME T20 scoring, see the COME T20 points reference and the team-selection checklist.
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The 4th T20I starts at 12:30 PM IST on Friday, 30 October 2026, which is 8:00 PM local time in Auckland.
Sony Sports Network has the TV coverage in India and SonyLIV streams the series, according to the broadcast details published with the schedule.
Eden Park has a reputation as a small ground for T20 cricket. In the four T20Is in our table, the chasing side won every time, including three chases of more than 200.
Yes. India took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series by winning the 3rd T20I in Wellington on 27 October, so the last two games cannot change the series result.
Our first choice is Abhishek Sharma, who made 113 off 38 balls in the 3rd T20I, with Glenn Phillips as the alternative. Confirm both are in the playing XI at the toss, because India may rotate now that the series is won.
No. It is a pre-match editorial opinion. Team selection, the toss and the weather can change the outcome, so treat any prediction as one input rather than a certainty.
comeplaygo.com is an independent information and affiliate website for COME users in India. We are not affiliated with the BCCI, New Zealand Cricket or the broadcasters. Match facts come from the published reports listed under Sources; probable XIs, picks and predictions are our own assessment until the toss.
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Facts on this page were checked against these reports on 27 October 2026. Earlier-season statistics come from published scorecards; they are a selection, not a complete venue record.
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Editorial update: · comeplaygo.com Editorial Team
