India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I on Saturday: 12.30 pm IST start, where to watch in India, Christchurch weather and team news

India, 1-0 up after Thursday’s record chase, meet New Zealand again at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on Saturday 24 October. The second T20I starts at 12.30 pm IST, with the toss half an hour earlier at 12 noon. In India it is live on Sony Sports Network channels and streams on SonyLIV. New Zealand’s MetService forecasts a fine day in Christchurch, with no rain mentioned.

At a glance: when, where and what time

• Match: New Zealand v India, second of five T20Is
• Date: Saturday 24 October 2026
• Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch (the same ground as the opener)
• Toss: 12 noon IST
• First ball: 12.30 pm IST, which is 8 pm in Christchurch
• Series: India lead 1-0
• Tickets: New Zealand Cricket says the match is sold out; capacity for this fixture is about 9,000

Where to watch in India

• TV: Sony Sports Network. Sony’s published schedule also lists the Sony VIZHA channel.
• Phone and computer: the SonyLIV app and website
• Commentary languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, as announced by Sony
• If you are in New Zealand: Sky Sport has the TV coverage, Sport Nation is the free-to-air audio broadcaster, and live scores are at scoring.nzc.nz (per New Zealand Cricket)

Christchurch weather on Saturday

MetService’s forecast, issued on Thursday night, has Saturday fine all day in Christchurch, with a high of 28°C and a low of 8°C. Westerly winds are expected, easing for a while in the morning and afternoon. MetService meteorologist Dom Barry told the NZ Herald that Saturday would be about 10°C warmer than the October average, but that overnight lows would fall into single digits, a big swing between day and night.

According to MetService, the sun sets in Christchurch at 8.06 pm on Saturday, so the match begins around sunset and will be played almost entirely under lights. After the opener, captain Shreyas Iyer said dew settled as the game went on and the ball began coming onto the bat more easily. The NZ Herald’s analysis credited his decision to bowl first for giving India the better batting conditions.

Any changes to the teams?

As of Friday, neither side had announced its XI or any changes for Saturday; teams will be named at the toss. The reports we checked mention no new injury in the Indian camp.

New Zealand’s worry is whether captain Mitchell Santner is fit. The NZ Herald reported that he seemed to hurt his neck in an awkward fall while fielding in India’s innings and went off, before returning late on to complete his four overs. After the match Santner said he had “a bit of a whiplash” but was okay, according to Cricbuzz.

Injuries keep Rachin Ravindra (shoulder), Mark Chapman (hamstring) and Zak Foulkes (hip flexor) out of New Zealand’s T20I side, according to New Zealand Cricket. For India, Wisden reports that Jasprit Bumrah has been rested and Hardik Pandya is out injured.

The XIs from Thursday

• India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav
• India’s bench: Mumbai’s Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
• New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson
• New Zealand’s bench: Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner

Key numbers from the opener

• New Zealand 225 for 4, which Reuters says is their biggest T20 total against India at home; Glenn Phillips 82 not out off 40 balls
• India 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs, their highest successful chase in men’s T20Is; the previous best was 209
• Sanju Samson 67 off 33, Shreyas Iyer 42 off 28, Naman Dhir 42 not out off 15
• According to The Daily Jagran, the biggest winning chase in a men’s T20I at Hagley Oval before Thursday was 177
• Reuters noted that all five Indian bowlers went for 10 or more an over; Bhuvneshwar Kumar, back in the T20I side after four years, finished with 0 for 49

Head-to-head: what the numbers say

• Cricbuzz’s pre-series figures: since January 2020, India had won 16 of 20 completed T20Is against New Zealand. Two of those 16 came in Super Overs, and one further match was tied. Thursday’s win is on top of that.
• Their previous meeting before this tour was the March 2026 T20 World Cup final at Ahmedabad: India made 255 and won by 96 runs.
• India won their last two T20I series in New Zealand, under Virat Kohli in 2020 and Hardik Pandya in 2022. Free Press Journal Marathi notes that Mumbai’s Iyer can become the third India captain in a row to win a T20I series there.

Rest of the series

• 3rd T20I: Tuesday 27 October, Hnry Stadium, Wellington
• 4th T20I: Friday 30 October, Eden Park, Auckland
• 5th T20I: Sunday 1 November, Seddon Park, Hamilton
• Every T20I starts at 12.30 pm IST (8 pm local).
• Five ODIs follow from 4 November; Sony’s schedule lists them at 7.30 am IST.

Before you tune in

• The XIs, and any changes, will be confirmed at the toss at 12 noon.
• If you plan to watch on SonyLIV, update the app and check your login in advance so you are not caught out at the start.
• At work on Saturday afternoon? Ball-by-ball updates are on Cricbuzz and scoring.nzc.nz.
• Fans in New Zealand: Saturday’s match is sold out; ticket information for the later games is at tickets.nzc.nz.

Sources: New Zealand Cricket (fixtures, tickets, broadcast); New Zealand Cricket (injuries and squad); Cricbuzz (match facts and broadcast guide); Cricbuzz (1st T20I scorecard); Cricbuzz (pre-series stats); Indian Television (Sony broadcast schedule); MetService (Christchurch forecast); NZ Herald (weather); NZ Herald (Santner’s fitness); Reuters via Al Jazeera; Wisden; eSakal; Free Press Journal Marathi; The Daily Jagran