New Zealand will miss the services of James Neesham in the first T20I against India as the star all-rounder chose Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) over national commitments. The development came in after Neesham extended his stay with Rajshahi Warriors in BPL 2025-26.
The BPL 2025-26, which is in its fag end, ends on January 23. Rajshahi Warriors are one of the four teams to enter the playoffs and will play Chattogram Royals in Qualifier 1 on January 20. In case Rajshahi Warriors lose in Qualifier 1, they will get to play in Qualifier 2 the next day.
On the other hand, India play New Zealand in five T20Is as a preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026, the first of which is on January 21. The second game to be played two days later. Neesham has been named in the New Zealand squad for both India tour and the T20 World Cup 2026.
“Neesham will join the New Zealand team in India after his BPL commitments on either the 22nd or 24th so will be available for the end of the T20 tour of India,” a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) official told Livemint.
The 35-year-old will fly to India on January 22 if Rajshahi Warriors exits in the Playoffs. In case, Rajshahi Warriors make the final on January 23, Neesham will travel to India the next day. Before BPL, Neesham played in Nepal Premier League and ILT20 in Dubai.
James Neesham's BPL performances
In BPL, Neesham has played four out of 10 matches so far, taking three wickets at an average of 31.66. With the bat, the left-handed New Zealander managed just 30 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 107.14.. Prior to that, Neesham represented Dubai Capitals in ILT20.
After the league stage, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Rajshahi Warriors finished on top of the BPL 2025-26 points table with eight wins in 10 games with a net run-rate that read 0.335.
New Zealand T20I squad against India
Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi.
