Sony Sports Network unveils India tour of New Zealand coverage plans

MUMBAI: The rivalry is ready to serve up some fireworks, and Sony Sports Network is adding a festive twist to the face-off. With India set to take on New Zealand from 22 October, Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV have unveiled their broadcast plans, featuring a new campaign, a heavyweight panel of former cricketers and coverage across five languages.

The tour begins with a five-match T20I series, followed by five one-day internationals (ODIs) and two Tests, with the action scheduled to run until 1 December 2026. The matches will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, while the return of Extraaa Innings will add another familiar feature to the coverage.

The campaign film sets the tone with a Diwali-inspired storyline in which New Zealand appears to be preparing a festive gift for India, only for the celebrations to reveal a competitive sting. Its message, ‘Dono side zakhmi’, suggests that both teams carry scars from previous battles and are eager to settle scores. Beneath the festive packaging lies the central sporting question: can India adapt quickly enough to New Zealand’s home conditions, or will the hosts make the visitors work for every win?

The broadcast line-up brings together some familiar voices from Indian and New Zealand cricket. Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane will be joined by former New Zealand players Stephen Fleming and Tim Southee, alongside other commentators and analysts across the three formats.

The build-up will also include Sunny Side Up, a digital series featuring Gavaskar. The programme will examine what it takes to succeed in New Zealand, the adjustments players must make to unfamiliar conditions and the individual contests that could shape the outcome of the tour.

Ashwin will feature across English, Hindi and Tamil coverage during the T20Is, while Rahane joins the Hindi panel. Fleming and Southee are expected to bring their knowledge of New Zealand’s playing conditions and cricketing approach to the analysis, giving viewers perspectives from both sides of the contest.

For Sony Sports Network, the scale of the tour offers an opportunity to keep viewers engaged across formats, languages and platforms. Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer and business head for sports and international at Sony Pictures Networks India, said the five T20Is would provide an exciting start and that the broadcaster wanted to build anticipation from the opening match on 22 October. He highlighted the expert panel, five-language coverage and return of Extraaa Innings as key elements of the offering.

Shastri, former India cricketer, captain and coach, expects the hosts to make the most of familiar conditions. He said New Zealand would come hard at India, pointing to the home side’s preparation and ability to make opponents earn their victories. India may have the firepower, he suggested, but reputation alone would not win the series; the team would need to absorb pressure and put it back on the hosts from the opening T20I.

Rahane, a former India Test captain, described the tour as a crucial assignment, particularly because of the challenge New Zealand conditions present for Indian batters. He said winning the two Tests would be important for India’s chances of remaining in contention for a place in the 2027 World Test Championship final. Rahane also welcomed Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to the squad, saying the bowler’s experience could prove useful in the T20Is.

With matches scheduled back-to-back across formats, Rahane said the tour would test India’s bench strength as well. His advice to the team was to avoid looking too far ahead, concentrate on each match and stick to its plans.

Ashwin, meanwhile, described a New Zealand tour as one of international cricket’s more demanding assignments because it requires teams to adapt constantly. He said each format brings a different test, from reading conditions in T20 cricket to building momentum in ODIs and demonstrating patience and discipline in Tests. He added that India had the quality to compete across formats and looked forward to analysing the contest.

The language-wise line-up reflects the breadth of the broadcast plan. In English, Gaurav Kapur, Shastri, Ashwin, Fleming, Southee, Simon Doull, Shane Bond and Ian Smith will cover the T20Is. The ODI panel will feature Samir Kochhar, Shastri, Fleming, Southee, Doull, Bond and Smith, while Harsha Bhogle, Gavaskar, Fleming, Southee, Doull, Bond and Smith will handle the Tests.

The Hindi T20I coverage will feature Kochhar, Ashwin, Rahane, Shardul Thakur, Ajay Jadeja, Vivek Razdan, Atish Thukral and Murali Karthik. For the ODIs, the line-up includes Kapur, Rahane, Thakur, Gavaskar, Jadeja, Razdan, Maninder Singh, Anjum Chopra and Thukral. The Test coverage will feature Kochhar or Kapur, Rahane, Jadeja, Singh, Razdan, Karthik and Thukral.

Tamil coverage for the T20Is will include Ashwin, WV Raman, R Sridhar, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Bharat Arun, Sastika Rajendran and S Badrinath. Raman, Sridhar, Sivaramakrishnan, Bhagavathy Prasad and Malolan Rangarajan will cover the ODIs, while the Test panel will comprise Raman, Sridhar, Prasad, Sivaramakrishnan, Badrinath and Sudhir Srinivasan.

The Telugu T20I panel will feature Venkatapathy Raju, Gnaneswara Rao, Sandeep Kumar, Rakesh Deva and Hari Kishore M. For the ODIs, Ravi Teja joins Raju, Kumar, Rao and Deva. The Test line-up includes KS Bharat, Raju, Rao, Kumar and Deva.

Kannada coverage will feature Venkatesh Prasad, HS Sharath, Sumanth Bhat and Raghavendra Raj for the T20Is. Prasad, Sujith Somasunder, Sharath, Bhat and Raj will cover the ODIs, while the Test panel will add Amit Verma, Chandramouli Kanavi and Anirudh Joshi to the line-up alongside Prasad, Somasunder, Sharath and Bhat.

The schedule opens with the first T20I on 22 October, followed by matches on 24 and 27 October, and 30 October and 1 November. All five T20Is are scheduled to begin at 12.30 pm IST. The five ODIs follow on 4, 7, 10, 13 and 15 November, with each match starting at 7.30 am IST.

The two Tests will bring the tour to a close. The first is scheduled for 19–23 November, with daily play beginning at 3.30 am IST, followed by the second from 27 November to 1 December, also starting at 3.30 am IST each day.

All matches will be available on Sony Sports Network, Sony VIZHA and Sony LIV. With a packed schedule spanning three formats, a multilingual commentary roster and a campaign built around the rivalry, the broadcaster is setting up a long cricketing contest in which India’s ability to adjust to conditions will be as important as its star power.

The first ball is scheduled for 12.30 pm IST on 22 October, when the opening T20I gets the tour under way. After that, the challenge shifts from the shortest format to the longer tests of consistency and endurance, with both teams having until 1 December to make their mark.

Watch India tour of New Zealand live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network, Sony VIZHA and Sony LIV starting October 22, 2026.