New Zealand arrive quietly, but not lightly

There is less noise around this New Zealand side, but not for lack of experience or clarity. In a post-Kane Williamson era, it arrives as a settled group under Mitchell Santner, captaining for the first time at a World Cup but supported by seasoned tournament players. The quiet owes more to recent results, notably a 4-1 defeat to India, when New Zealand looked some distance off the pace. The memory of the last T20 World Cup also lingers, where losses to West Indies and Afghanistan ended their campaign prematurely.

Head coach Rob Walter spoke of the "hurt" during the squad announcement, placing it against New Zealand's self-image as "perennial semi-finalists and finalists". This World Cup is a chance to reassert credibility and, as Walter put it, not just be better but "represent well" again.

The Squad

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

The outcome is a notably experienced and well-covered group. Jacob Duffy, 31, is the only player set to feature in his first senior men's World Cup. Four of the six all-rounders are spin-oriented, while a strong pace group is reinforced by the return of Lockie Ferguson.

Recent Form and Approach

Since the last T20 World Cup, New Zealand have won 16 of 30 matches overall, but against India, England and Australia they have managed just one win in 10 games.

Last five T20Is: L-L-L-W-L (latest)

New Zealand's approach is clear: they want to go hard at the top. The pairing of Tim Seifert, their most prolific batter since the last World Cup, and Finn Allen, their most destructive, gives the batting line-up an early edge. The middle order of Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman lends balance.

The numbers against spin stand out. Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, New Zealand have struck at 142.61 against spin in T20Is, second only to India among Full Member teams.

Key Player: Finn Allen

Since 2024, among players with at least 1,000 T20 runs, his strike rate of 187.01 trails only Abhishek Sharma, placing him firmly among the game's elite power-hitters.

Venues and Conditions

New Zealand play three of their four group matches in Chennai, travelling only once to Ahmedabad for their game against South Africa. The limited movement and familiarity with Chennai, where they also played during the 2023 World Cup, should work in their favour.

Group Stage Schedule

New Zealand's opening match against Afghanistan in Chennai has the potential to be tricky. They lost to Afghanistan at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Tournament Expectations

Having fallen short of the semifinals last time, anything less now would feel like a miss. The noise is lower, the pressure different, and these are circumstances few teams know how to use better than New Zealand.