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New Zealand will take on the West Indies in the first of the five-match T20I series. The opening game will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on November 5, starting at 11:45am IST. After losing the recent T20I series against England, NZ bounced back by winning all three ODIs against them. Mitchell Santner will lead the side with Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, and Ish Sodhi as the other key players in the squad. Here is the preview of the opener. The West Indies are coming off a stellar performance, having whitewashed Bangladesh 3-0 in their last T20I series. They will look to carry that momentum into the upcoming series against New Zealand. Shai Hope will lead the team with Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, and Akeal Hosein as part of a strong lineup. Eden Park, Auckland, usually provides good support for batters with bowlers needing to maintain tight lines and lengths. Spinners are likely to get some assistance as the pitch tends to offer turn and grip in later stages of the game. While the Sony Sports Network will broadcast the match live in India, its streaming will be available on the SonyLiv app and website. In their T20I history, New Zealand and West Indies have clashed 20 times, as per ESPNcricinfo. The Black Caps have won 11 of those encounters, while the Windies have emerged victorious on seven occasions (NR: 2). As many as three games were determined with either super over or bowl-out. At home, the Kiwis have seven wins and a solitary defeat against WI. New Zealand (Probable XI): Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway (wk), Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Zakary Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, and Ish Sodhi. West Indies (Probable XI): Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope (c & wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Shamar Springer. With 1,558 runs at an average of 41, Shai Hope is the third-leading run-getter in T20 cricket in 2025. Jason Holder's tally of 82 T20 wickets at 21.37 is the most for any bowler in 2025. Rachin Ravindra's 823 T20 runs in 2025 have come at a strike rate of 157.06. Santner has taken 36 T20 wickets this year at an economy of 7.97. 2397
