India beat New Zealand by four runs via the DLS method in the second ODI at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on November 7, 2026, to lead the five-match series 2-0. The result also gave New Zealand a record 11th defeat against a single opponent in a calendar year across formats.
Match Summary: A Low-Scoring, Rain-Affected Contest
Persistent rain forced the DLS method into play on a difficult surface. Only 247 runs were scored across both innings, which made every partnership significant.
| Team | Score | Overs | Run Rate |
|---|
| New Zealand | 134 all out | 41 | 3.27 |
| India | 113/7 | 26 | 4.35 |
India's scoring rate was about 1.08 runs per over higher than New Zealand's. That gap is what kept them ahead of the DLS par score when play ended. The margin of four runs implies a par score of 109 at that stage.
New Zealand's Innings: Reliance on Two Batters
Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 55, which was about 41% of the total. Mitchell Santner added 31 lower down the order.
Together they made 86 of the 134 runs, or roughly 64%. The remaining batters contributed only 48 runs, including extras, which explains why the total fell short of a competitive DLS target.
India's Chase: Controlled Accumulation
Shreyas Iyer made 30 and KL Rahul stayed unbeaten on 26. Their 56 runs made up almost half of India's 113.
India lost seven wickets in 26 overs, so the chase was not comfortable. They still stayed ahead of par, and the run-rate advantage decided the result.
Bowling Impact: Brar Leads the Attack
Gurnoor Brar was India's standout bowler with four wickets. He dismissed a large share of New Zealand's batting order and kept the innings below 140.
| Bowler | Team | Wickets |
|---|
| Gurnoor Brar | India | 4 |
| Jacob Duffy | New Zealand | 3 |
| Kyle Jamieson | New Zealand | 3 |
Duffy and Jamieson shared six of India's seven wickets. Their combined effort made the chase tense but could not prevent a four-run loss.
A Calendar-Year Record for New Zealand
This was New Zealand's 11th defeat against India across all formats in 2026. That is the most losses any team has suffered against one opponent in a single calendar year.
The previous mark belonged to New Zealand themselves, who lost ten times to Australia in 2005. The table below shows the top three entries.
| Defeats | Opponent | Year |
|---|
| 11* | India | 2026 |
| 10 | Australia | 2005 |
| 9 | England | 2008 |
The 2026 total is one defeat more than the 2005 figure, a 10% increase on the previous benchmark. The year is still in progress, so the count could rise further.
Historical Comparison
Both earlier entries came from years in which New Zealand met a dominant opponent repeatedly across formats. The 2026 figure shows a similar pattern of frequent fixtures and consistent defeats.
Series Implications at Home
New Zealand last lost a home ODI series to India in January 2019. The current 2-0 deficit means they now face back-to-back home ODI series losses to the same opponent for the first time since that series.
| Metric | Status |
|---|
| Series score | India 2-0 New Zealand |
| Matches remaining | 3 |
| NZ wins needed to avoid series defeat | 3 of 3 |
| Last NZ home ODI series loss to India | January 2019 |
New Zealand must win all three remaining matches to avoid a series defeat. India need just one more win from three to secure the series.
Analytical Takeaway
The match was decided by small margins: a four-run DLS win, a 1.08 run-rate gap and one batter contributing 41% of his team's runs. India's balanced contributions from Iyer, Rahul and Brar proved more reliable than New Zealand's dependence on Mitchell and Santner.
The 11-defeat record adds context beyond this series. New Zealand's problems against India in 2026 are sustained across formats and are not limited to one result.