New Zealand are gearing up to host Australia in a three-match T20I series. The first match will take place at the Bay Oval Ground in Mount Maunganui on October 1. New Zealand New Zealand are entering this series on the back of a stellar showdown in the Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series. The Kiwis defeated South Africa in the final match to clinch the trophy, remaining unbeaten in the tournament under the leadership of Mitchell Santner. However, Santner won't be seen leading the side against Australia and has been ruled out already with an abdominal injury. In his absence, Michael Bracewell will take the leadership duties. Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips are the other big names to miss out here with their injuries. Australia Australia, meanwhile, are dominant in this format too. They are coming into this series after beating 5-0 West Indies and then followed up by a hard-fought 2-1 series win against South Africa at home. Glenn Maxwell’s heroic knock had helped Australia take the series home, but unfortunately, the Australian legend won't be seen in action in this series as he is ruled out with a broken wrist. Josh Philippe has been added to the squad as his replacement. As for their recent record in the T20Is, Australia have only suffered 2 T20I defeats in 17 matches since the last T20 World Cup in 2024. NZ vs AUS 1st T20I Match Details NZ vs AUS T20I Match Details Match New Zealand vs Australia 1st T20I Match Date and Time Wednesday, October 1; 11:45 a.m. IST Venue Bay Oval Ground, Mount Maunganui Broadcasting and live streaming TV - Sony Sports Network Live Stream - SonyLIV app NZ vs AUS 1st T20I Pitch Report The surface at the Bay Oval pitch offers a complete batting track for the batters. It’s flat with good bounce and carry, favouring aggressive stroke makers, especially in the first innings. Moreover, the shorter boundary dimensions also give the batting side the license to go big. But as the game progresses, the surface tends to flatten out and batters will get enough time to play their desired shots. Spinners may come into play later in the match if the surface starts to tear. NZ vs AUS 1st T20I Weather Report The weather is expected to remain cooler throughout the entire match, with 10% of rain interruption in the match. The temperature is likely to be around 9-14°C. The wind speed may assist bowlers in swinging the new ball. NZ vs AUS Head-to-Head Records NZ vs AUS head-to-head (in T20Is) Match Played 19 Won by New Zealand 5 Won by Australia 13 Tied 0 No Result 0 NZ vs AUS 1st T20I Probable XI New Zealand: Devon Conway (wk), Tim Seifert, Tim Robinson, Daryl Mitchell, Bevon Jacobs, Mark Chapman, Zakary Foulkes, Michael Bracewell (c), Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi Australia: Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Matt Short, Tim David, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Josh Philippe, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa Players To Watch Out For In NZ vs AUS 1st T20I Match Tim Seifert | NZ: The 30-year-old right-hand batter is one of the best attacking players in this format for the New Zealand team. He starts his attack from ball one and goes berserk for a long inning. He has featured in 71 matches in this format and has scored 1736 runs, including 12 half-centuries. Travis Head | AUS: Travis Head needs no introduction when it comes to aggressive cricket. The left-hander is capable of winning any game single-handedly for his team via his performance. He has played 41 matches and has scored 1119 runs with 5 half-centuries. He should be the player to watch out for in this match. NZ vs AUS 1st T20I Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In the last three T20 matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bowl twice and bat once. Advantages of Batting First on This Pitch The team batting first at this venue has won a record 11 out of the total 15 matches played here, while the teams batting second have won just one game. This trend suggests that teams should prefer to bat first on this surface to get maximum benefits. NZ vs AUS T20I Today's Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: New Zealand (opts to bat first) Power-Play Score: 50-55 NZ Total: 170-180 Match Winner: New Zealand Scenario 2 Toss Winner: Australia (opts to bat first) Power-Play Score: 50-60 AUS Total: 170-190 Match Winner: Australia Who will win today's NZ vs AUS T20I match? Both Australia and New Zealand are in top form in the T20I cricket recently. But considering their injured list of players and team strength, Australia will emerge as victorious in the opening game. Moreover, they are ahead in their head-to-head encounters as well.