New Zealand make third T20 captaincy change in 45 days as Nick Kelly takes charge

Nick Kelly, with only 5 T20Is and a debut in March 2026, takes charge as New Zealand faces Bangladesh in the first T20I today in Chattogram.

New Zealand T20 Team Captain: New Zealand Cricket has made continuous changes regarding captaincy following the T20 World Cup 2026. The situation is such that even before its second series after the ICC tournament, the team has been forced to change its captain for the third time. A major reason for this is also considered to be that New Zealand Cricket wants to test as many players as possible and give opportunities to new faces keeping the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2028 in mind.

So many captains changed after the World Cup

After the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, New Zealand faced South Africa. Both teams had previously met in the semi-finals of the World Cup, where the Kiwi team registered a victory. New Zealand announced two captains for the T20 series against South Africa. Mitchell Santner was appointed captain for the first three matches, while Tom Latham was given the responsibility for the final two matches.

However, after three matches, Tom Latham sustained an injury and was ruled out of the entire series. Due to this, the captain had to be changed again mid-series and the command of the team was handed to James Neesham. After South Africa, New Zealand are to play a three-match T20 series against Bangladesh. Tom Latham was appointed captain for this series, but just before the very first match, he was injured again and ruled out of the entire series.

Now, taking a major decision, New Zealand Cricket has handed the command of the team to Nick Kelly, who has played only 5 T20 International matches. Kelly has played only 5 matches so far and has scored 57 runs at an average of 14.25. Kelly, who made his debut against South Africa in March 2026, can also bowl spin. However, he has not bowled a single ball at the international level so far.

The first match of the series between New Zealand and Bangladesh is being played today in Chattogram. The second match of the series will be played on 29 April at the same ground, while the final match will be played on 2 May at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.