Axar Patel omitted from India XI for fifth T20I at Seddon Park

Axar Patel was left out of India’s playing XI for the fifth T20I against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1, 2026; Varun Chakravarthy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar replaced Axar and Mayank Yadav. India had already secured the five-match series with a 3-1 lead.

India won the first three matches of the series before suffering an 87-run defeat in Auckland in the fourth T20I, where New Zealand posted 259. Glenn Phillips scored a century and Michael Bracewell contributed a half-century in that match. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first for the fifth game.

At the toss Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer confirmed the two changes but did not provide a specific reason for Axar’s omission. Varun Chakravarthy was added to bolster India’s specialist spin options and Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to the XI after missing the previous match; Mayank Yadav made way. India named the altered lineup for the series finale at Seddon Park.

In the fourth T20I, Axar Patel and Naman Dhir conceded a combined 59 runs in four overs. Both players had been part of India’s spin options who could also contribute with the bat. India have not officially confirmed that Axar Patel was dropped because of his performance in Auckland; his omission could be part of a tactical decision to try a different combination for the final match.

With the T20I series already decided, India will use the fifth T20I to assess their bowling options ahead of the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. The inclusion of Varun Chakravarthy and the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar provide the team with different bowling combinations to evaluate in the series finale.