T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand name spin-heavy squad, Mitchell Santner to lead

Pacers Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry have been included in New Zealand's 15-player squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be played in February and March in India and Sri Lanka. Also named is Jacob Duffy, who has been rewarded after a sensational 2025 in which he scalped 81 wickets in international cricket. He is set to play his maiden World Cup.

Ferguson and Henry, meanwhile, may miss a portion of the tournament due to paternity leave, while they are also part of the long list of players recovering from injuries. The duo will be coming back from a calf injury, while Finn Allen (finger/hamstring), Mark Chapman (ankle) and captain Mitchell Santner (adductor) are also recuperating.

"With Ferguson and Henry's partners due to give birth during the tournament period, it is likely they will be granted short-term paternity leave," NZC said.

Tim Robinson, Bevon Jacobs and Zakary Foulkes have missed out; Kyle Jamieson has been included as the travelling reserve. Others in the pace attack are Adam Milne and all-rounder James Neesham. Captain Santner and Ish Sodhi are the frontline spin options.

Aggressive opener Fin Allen and wicketkeeper-batter Tim Siefert have been named alongside Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra in the batting unit. The latter three will also offer ample flexibility to Santner and Sodhi in the spin department.

"As always, the balance of the squad is critical," coach Rob Walter said. "We've got plenty of power and skill in the batting, quality bowlers who can adapt to conditions, plus five all-rounders who all bring something slightly different. This is an experienced group, and the players are no strangers to playing in the sub-continent, which will be valuable."

New Zealand are slotted in Group D with Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa and the UAE. They will kickstart the tournament on February 8 in Chennai against Afghanistan and will face the UAE at the same venue on February 10 before the high-profile clash against South Africa on February 14 in Ahmedabad. They will return to Chennai for their final group-stage clash against Canada on February 17.

New Zealand will play five T20Is and three ODIs against India in the lead-up to the tournament.

New Zealand ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad

Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi

Travelling Reserve: Kyle Jamieson