Ishan Kishan to miss 3rd T20I against New Zealand: Details
What's the story
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the 3rd T20I against New Zealand in Wellington. The decision comes as he continues to recover from a low-grade adductor strain, which he sustained during the series opener in Christchurch. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Kishan is recovering but has not yet regained match fitness.
Twitter Post
Official confirmation
Update
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 26, 2026
Ishan Kishan is recovering well from his low grade right adductor strain, which he sustained during the first T20I of the series against New Zealand.
He is yet to regain match fitness and is ruled out of the third T20I to be played on October 27, 2026 in Wellington.…
Career highlights
India's top run-scorer in T20Is this year
Despite his injury, Kishan remains India's top run-scorer in T20Is this year.
He has scored 1,159 runs in 35 matches at an average of 36.21 and a strike rate of 171.44, including a century and seven fifties.
He is also just six away from breaking Suryakumar Yadav's record for most runs by an Indian in T20Is in a calendar year (1,164 runs).
Team changes
Kumar Kushagra named as Kishan's replacement
The BCCI release also mentioned that Kumar Kushagra has been named as Kishan's replacement for the third T20I. He was picked after an impressive run in domestic cricket.
The Jharkhand batter currently has 694 runs from 33 T20Is at a strike rate of 145.18.
Meanwhile, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to bat at No. 3, as was the case in the 2nd T20I.