Mumbai to play warm-up tie against New Zealand in Delhi

The touring New Zealand side will face defending Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the second practice match in Delhi later this month. The three-day tie will be played on September 16-18 at the Ferozeshah Kotla in the capital.

Before this clash, the Black Caps are scheduled to take on the Board President’s XI from September 16-18. The Kiwis will play a three-match Test series and a bevy of five matches in the ODI series. The tour is scheduled to take place on the 22nd of September to the 29th of October.

The game against Mumbai will be the last warm-up match for the Kiwis before they launch into a three-Test series against India, with the first game at Kanpur from September 22.

While the Kiwis will love playing against the domestic giants and prepare for the challenging tour against the strong Indian side, the Mumbai side will take this as an opportunity to gain some confidence before entering the new season.

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The team has a very strong look to it. Rohit Sharma will be the single biggest attraction. Apart from him, the team has some of the best rising talents who have made waves in the domestic circles.

Skipper Aditya Tare is in great form. Surya Kumar Yadav, Siddesh Lad, Jay Bista, and Balwinder Sandu Jr all played a big role in Mumbai victorious campaign last year. Armaan Jaffer and Kaustub Pawar will also be under the limelight. All these players will have a chance to counter the world class Kiwi side which will be under the young leadership of Kane Williamson.

“After such a wonderful last season, it is the best opportunity, and a big challenge for the boys to play against an international side. Hopefully, this game will help them get a bit of confidence to enter the rest of the season. We’re happy to get this match,” Mumbai head coach Chandrakant Pandit told TOI on Tuesday (September 6).

After the Green Park Test, New Zealand will play in Kolkata and Indore before rounding out their tour with a five-match One-Day International series beginning on October 16 in Dharamsala.

Mumbai Squad: Aditya Tare (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Surya Kumar Yadav, Siddhesh Lad, Kaustub Pawar, Jay Bista, Sufiyan Shaikh, Arman Jaffer, Parikshit Valsangkar, Vishal Dabholkar, Vijay Gohil, Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr.), Tushar Deshpande, Royston Dias, Harshal Soni.