New Zealand name 16-member T20I squad for India tour; Rachin Ravindra ruled out

New Zealand have named a 16-member squad for the five-match Twenty20 International series against India, which begins on October 22 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, with Mitchell Santner retained as captain and Rachin Ravindra omitted due to injury.

The selection comes ahead of a multi-format tour that will feature five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests, with the T20I leg opening the itinerary. The five T20 matches will be played across Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton before the teams shift their focus to the ODI series in November.

Mitchell Santner will lead the side and New Zealand have retained the majority of the players from their recent T20 World Cup squad, with 13 players carried over. The squad includes established white-ball performers such as Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell and Lockie Ferguson.

Michael Bracewell and Adam Milne return to the T20 setup after missing the World Cup through injury; Bracewell provides off-spin and batting depth while Milne rejoins the pace group after more than a year away from international cricket. He last played against Zimbabwe, according to the announcement.

The most notable absence is all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, who has been ruled out after dislocating his right shoulder during a promotional shoot last week. New Zealand head coach Rob Walter commented on Ravindra’s injury: "We’re gutted for Rachin. He’s going to play a big role for us this summer, so it’s important that he doesn’t rush his rehab, but we’re optimistic he’ll be back for the ODIs," Walter said.

The full 16-member squad named for the T20I series is: Mitchell Santner (Captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith.

India will play five T20Is against New Zealand, starting on October 22, with New Zealand preparing under Santner’s leadership for the opening segment of the tour.