Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey
NZ vs IND 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report | IND vs NZ Dream11 Prediction Today | Wellington Pitch Report
A week ago, both New Zealand and India were pushing for an appearance in the 2022 T20 World Cup Final. It didn’t materialise for either team, but there is no time to dwell on their respective semi-final defeats as the T20 action is right back on their doorsteps. Indeed, cricket’s schedule is full on.
Looking back, both sides made under-par totals in the semi-finals. New Zealand’s 152 was not enough against Pakistan, and India’s 168 was chased with the utmost ease by England. This T20I series represents an opportunity to begin putting some new processes in place, with the Black Caps looking to win at home while India’s batting approach is under the spotlight.
In bilateral T20Is this year, India have scored at 8.59 runs per over in the powerplay. This is in contrast to the woeful 6.02 they delivered in the recent World Cup. For New Zealand, Finn Allen is the player who can take the game away, but will be aiming to produce that sort of form a little more regularly.
NZ vs IND 1st T20 Possible Playing XI
Kane Williamson will be keen to make a mark after getting released by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Trent Boult will not play in this series – a consequence of the left-armer being released from his NZC contract earlier this year.
New Zealand: 1. Finn Allen, 2. Devon Conway (wk), 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Glenn Phillips, 5. Daryl Mitchell, 6. James Neesham, 7. Mitchell Santner, 8. Tim Southee, 9. Adam Mline/Blair Tickner, 10. Ish Sodhi, 11. Lockie Ferguson
Hardik Pandya will lead India. Rishabh Pant has been named vice-captain, and may open. The likes of Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan could get an opportunity.
India: 1. Shubman Gill, 2. Ishan Kishan, 3. Shreyas Iyer/Sanju Samson, 4. Suryakumar Yadav, 5. Hardik Pandya (c), 6. Rishabh Pant (wk), 7. Washington Sundar/Deepak Hooda, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9. Yuzvendra Chahal, 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Umran Malik/Harshal Patel
NZ vs IND T20I Head-to-Head Stats & Key Players
New Zealand:
- Glenn Phillips was one of the players of the T20 World Cup. The right-hander is New Zealand’s leading run-scorer this year with 650 at an average of 46.42 and strike rate of 155.13.
- Devon Conway has the next most runs for NZ this year with 484 at an average of 48.40 and strike rate of 123.15.
- In 16 T20I innings at home, Conway has scored 706 runs at an average of 64.18 and strike rate of 140.63.
- Kane Williamson vs India: 12 inns, 358 runs, avg. 32.55, SR 132.59. In seven innings at Wellington, Williamson is averaging 25.71 with one score of 72, so he will be aiming for an improvement.
- Mitchell Santner will be key in putting the brakes on India in the middle overs. He has taken 16 wickets in as many innings against them at an average of 26.38 and economy of 7.15.
- In nine T20Is at Sky Stadium at Wellington, Santner has taken 11 wickets at an average of 15.64 and economy of just 5.21.
- Ish Sodhi has taken the most wickets in NZ-IND T20Is (20) at an average of 19.25 and economy of 7.26. Also, Sodhi has a great record at Wellington, with 17 scalps in eight T20s at an average of 14.76 and ER of 8.10.
India:
- Suryakumar Yadav has had a year to remember. He recently became the first Indian to score 1,000 T20I runs in a single year. He is striking at an incredible 185.71.
- Shubman Gill was in excellent touch in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The right-hander struck 260 runs in six matches at an average of 52.00 and strike rate of 156.62.
- Hardik Pandya belted a brilliant 33-ball 63* in last week’s semi-final. Interestingly, his head-to-head stats against NZ are poor, with a batting average of just 10.67 and bowling average of 48.50 (econ. 10.78) in eight T20Is.
- Yuzvendra Chahal will be keen to make up for lost time after not getting picked for any World Cup games. He will be aiming to improve his record against NZ: 11 inns, 8 wickets, avg. 41.88, econ. 7.98.
- Chahal has dismissed Kane Williamson twice in 47 balls for 58 runs in T20Is.
- Arshdeep Singh has been a revelation this year (33 wickets in 21 matches). 13 of these wickets have come in the powerplay, where he strikes every 15.2 deliveries.
Other Stats and Facts
- Head-to-head: Matches 21, New Zealand 9, India 11, N/R 1.
- Mitchell Santner has dismissed Sanju Samson twice in seven balls in T20s.
- Tim Southee vs India: 15 inns, 15 wickets, avg. 33.47, econ. 8.37.
- However, Southee has a good record in T20s at Wellington: 10 inns, 17 wickets, avg. 16.71, econ. 7.10.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken the third-most wickets (36) among all bowlers in T20Is this year. Against New Zealand, Kumar has taken eight wickets in nine matches at an average of 32.25 and economy of 8.32.
Sky Stadium Wellington Pitch Report and Weather
The last men’s T20I was back in January 2020 between these two nations. It was a thrilling tie where both teams scored 165, with India winning in the Super Over. In the last five men’s T20Is, the average first innings score is 172.2, with the team batting first winning four of the five games.
The weather forecast is for a mostly rainy day with a top of 18 degrees. Rain is expected during the match hours. 0
IND vs NZ Dream11 Prediction Today 18 November 2022
Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.
Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction
Base Team:
- Wicket-Keepers: Devon Conway
- Batsmen: Suryakumar Yadav, Glenn Phillips
- All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner
- Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Tim Southee
NZ vs IND 1st T20 Match Prediction: Who will win?
In this bilateral T20, we may see both sides throw caution to the wind. Chasing might be an advantage with possible dew under lights. But, India, with in-form and exciting players, can win this match.