The 2026 India ODI Squad for New Zealand is yet to be announced, but the recent rumours of star players’ selection for the ODI series have caught the attention. The home leg white-ball series against the Kiwis will kick off on January 11th at Vadodara and conclude on January 31st at Thiruvananthapuram.
New Year, New Challenge! 💥🏆
The Kiwi battle kicks off in 2026
11th January: Ro-Ko RETURNS! 🇮🇳🌟Here is the schedule of the series🗓️ pic.twitter.com/3D7I4vAk1K
— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) December 29, 2025
3 Players Who Might Be Dropped from the 2026 India ODI Squad for New Zealand
The series comprises 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is. With the T20 World Cup just around the corner, the BCCI has already unveiled the Indian T20 World Cup squad, with a similar squad to take up New Zealand in the bilateral series. However, the ODI squad for the 3 ODIs hasn’t been announced, despite the 50-over format getting started first. Obviously, there will be selection changes from the squad that played against South Africa a few weeks back. Big names, including Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah, are likely to miss out.
Rishabh Pant
Ever since Rishabh Pant’s car accident happened 3 years back, he hasn’t made it to the ODI squad regularly after his return to cricket in 2024. So far, he has just played one ODI in 3 years’ time, making his last appearance in the format on August 7, 2024, against Sri Lanka. Though he was in the squad for the recent bilateral series against South Africa as well as in the Champions Trophy, he couldn’t make it to the starting XI as KL Rahul was doing so well in the middle order. Rishabh Pant’s place in the squad was affected because of head coach Gautam Gambhir’s strategy of prioritising all-rounders more. Even though he is an aggressive batter, Pant has yet to make a mark across the white ball formats.
With too much crowd in the middle order, Pant had even lost his place in the T20I side. He hasn’t been named in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. With selectors choosing Ishan Kishan for the marquee tournament as a backup wicketkeeper for Sanju Samson, Pant might even lose his place in the 2026 India ODI Squad for New Zealand. This is likely to happen to provide more game time for Ishan Kishan at the highest level. Of course, Pant he is a talented cricketer, just that he couldn’t make it to the white-ball setup because of competition and a few other factors.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya will probably go down as India’s most successful all-rounders in the White ball, given his potential to win matches both with the bat and ball. The Indian team looks incomplete without him, and finding a replacement for him is no easy task. He floats anywhere in the middle order, according to the team’s needs, while his seam ups are always a bonus, and more importantly, he is a gun fielder.
All these positive factors are blessings for him, but not at this point, as he won’t be picked up in the 2026 India ODI squad for New Zealand, given the T20 World Cup is a short distance from here on. India requires a match-winner like Hardik Pandya, hence he will be rested for the ODI leg. He last featured in an ODI in the Champions Trophy final on March 9, 2025, against New Zealand.
Jasprit Bumrah
No doubt Jasprit Bumrah is a champion bowler and knows how to get wickets with his exceptional skills. He is often associated with the injuries, given his unique bowling action. He is a real gem for Indian cricket, who needs to be carefully monitored. Bumrah recently became the first Indian and fifth bowler in the world to pick 100 wickets and more in all 3 formats. Tim Southee, Lasith Malinga, Shakib Al Hasan, and Shaheen Afridi are the other four bowlers to achieve the milestone before.
With the ODI World Cup scheduled in Africa in 2027, which is far away at the moment, however, the immediate focus of the selectors will be on the T20 World Cup 2026, which India and Sri Lanka will jointly host. Jasprit Bumrah has already been selected for the prestigious event, where India will defend the title at home. The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, will definitely not risk playing him in the upcoming 3 ODIs against New Zealand. He needs rest and should be fully recharged. The 2026 India ODI squad for New Zealand is likely to be announced on January 3 or 4.
