Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the 2nd T20I of India's ongoing five-match series against New Zealand. The wicket-keeper batsman sustained a low-grade right adductor strain during the 1st T20I of the series, played on October 22 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, and will not be available for the following match.
The BCCI confirmed the development on October 23, 2026, through an official statement.
"Ishan Kishan is ruled out of the second T20I against New Zealand due to a low grade right adductor strain, which he sustained during the first T20I of the series. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress," the statement read.
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โ BCCI (@BCCI) October 23, 2026
Ishan Kishan is ruled out of the second T20I against New Zealand due to a low grade right adductor strain, which he sustained during the first T20I of the series.
The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress.#TeamIndia | #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/QbZpuVh1hQ
Kotak on batting order change and possible replacement
The injury had already affected India's batting order during the 1st T20I. Kotak, a member of India's support staff, told reporters on October 23 that Tilak Varma was promoted to No. 3 in that match because of Kishan's groin strain.
"There was a lot of speculation I have also seen, just because Ishan had a strain in his groin, the batting order was change," said Kotak.
Kotak had also indicated before the official BCCI announcement that it was unlikely Kishan would be available for the next match. On the question of a replacement, Kotak pointed to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as a strong option
"If Ishan doesn't play, unless he recovers completely, which the medical team will advise, Vaibhav could definitely step in for him. He is one of the strongest contenders," Kotak said.
Sooryavanshi in contention as series continues
Sooryavanshi was part of India's 16-member squad for the New Zealand tour but was not included in the Playing XI for the 1st T20I. India's confirmed lineup for that match included Sanju Samson as wicket-keeper, alongside Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer as captain, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav. India won the toss in that match and chose to bowl first.
Kishan, a left-handed wicket-keeper batsman born on July 18, 1998, in Patna, Bihar, is one of two specialist keeping options in India's T20I squad for this series, alongside Samson. The 16-member squad was announced on October 7, 2026, with Shreyas Iyer named as captain and Tilak Varma as vice-captain. The BCCI medical team continues to assess Kishan's condition ahead of the remaining matches in the series.
