Hamilton, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner created history on Sunday, becoming the country’s most-capped player in men’s T20 Internationals with his 143rd appearance during the fifth and final match against India at Seddon Park.
The left-arm spinner surpassed fellow bowler Ish Sodhi, who previously held the record with 142 appearances for the Black Caps. Santner made his T20I debut in 2015 and reached the landmark after more than a decade in international cricket.
Former fast bowler Tim Southee occupies third place on New Zealand’s most-capped T20I players list with 126 appearances, followed by Martin Guptill (122) and Daryl Mitchell (109).
The 34-year-old has made significant contributions with both bat and ball. Across his 143 T20Is, he has scored 1,117 runs at an average of 20.30, including a highest score of 77 not out. He has also claimed 151 wickets at an average of 23.09, with best bowling figures of 4/11.
Santner had recently reached another career milestone, becoming only the third New Zealand bowler to take 150 T20I wickets. He achieved the feat in the fourth T20I against India on Friday, claiming two wickets for 24 runs, including those of Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
However, his record-breaking appearance in Hamilton proved less rewarding with the ball, as he went wicketless and conceded 39 runs in his four overs.
India, who had already secured an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series by winning three successive games, were invited to bat first after New Zealand won the toss.
After early dismissals of Abhishek Sharma (1) and Sanju Samson (4), Ishan Kishan (61) and Shreyas Iyer (50) revived India’s innings with a 93-run partnership for the third wicket.
Naman Dhir added 33 runs, while Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed 22 as India posted 191/8.
Adam Milne led New Zealand’s bowling effort with four wickets for 19 runs in four overs, while Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner claimed two wickets each.
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