New Zealand's Key Spinner Injured, Ruled Out Just Days Before IPL 2026

Ish Sodhi has been ruled out of the T20Is vs SA (PC - Afp.com)After a hard-fought first T20I in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand have lost a key member of the squad who has been ruled out on the eve of the second T20I of the five-game series against South Africa. On Monday, the Blackcaps announced that Ish Sodhi has been ruled out of the remainder of the series. The leg-spinner suffered an injury to his thumb while bowling in the nets at the Bay Oval ahead of the first game of the series. It is revealed now that the 33-year-old Ish Sodhi missed the first game due to the same injury, and the scans have now confirmed that he will be missing out on the whole series. The champion spinner will require a rest for at least four weeks. No replacement called in for Ish SodhiThe New Zealand Cricket has decided not to call a replacement for an injured Ish Sodhi. The decision has been made because Lockie Ferguson is already coming in for the next two T20Is, before he flies to India to join the Punjab Kings’ pre-season camp for the IPL 2026. Read More: NZ vs SA Highlights, Scorecard- 1st T20I, South Africa tour of New Zealand 2026After the third T20I, the IPL- and PSL-contracted players in the Kiwi camp will fly to the sub-continent to join their respective teams. Interestingly, Captain Mitchell Santner and Ferguson are those who would join their respective IPL sides. Whereas former CSK player Devon Conway will be making his PSL debut this year, representing Islamabad United. BLACKCAPS @BLACKCAPS An update from the squad ahead of the second T20I in Hamilton. Wishing Ish a speedy recovery! #NZvSA Mar 16, 2026, 2:30 AM New Zealand bow down to ProteasAfter a heartbreaking exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup at the hands of the Kiwis, the Proteas wanted some sort of revenge. And they got some of it by beating the home team, who eliminated them from the recently concluded T20 World Cup. New Zealand tumbled batting first against the debutant Nqobani Mokoena, Gerald Coetzee and Ottneil Baartman, as the pace trio shared seven wickets between them. Meanwhile, the skipper Keshav Maharaj also chipped in two wickets. Later in the chase, Mitch Santner (1/8 in his four overs) and Zak Zoulkes (1/8 in two) gave some hope to the Kiwis, but Connor Esterhuizen and Dian Forrester kept their composure as the Proteas got home in the 17th over, winning the first game by seven wickets. When New Zealand broke 64 million hearts!Earlier this month, South Africa were playing some of their best cricket during the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. They remained unbeaten throughout the group stage and Super 8s. However, unlike any other romantic film, the Proteas didn’t get their fairy ending. In the semifinal in Kolkata, they were first exposed by the Kiwi bowling, but Marco Jansen’s courageous fifty took them to 169/8. Those runs on the board weren’t enough, as Finn Alenn -with a century in 33 balls- and Tim Siefert (58) broke over 64 million hearts back in the Rainbow nation. Read More: Yashasvi Jaiswal Accused Of Plotting Sanju Samson's RR Exit; 1 More Player Involved