Will Shreyas Iyer Play In NZ Tour Of India? Mumbai Batter To Feature In Vijay Hazare Trophy On January 6

Shreyas Iyer is set to return to competitive cricket on January 6 when he represents Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh in Round 6 of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26.

This will mark his first match since suffering a serious spleen injury last year. However, the wicketkeeper-batter’s availability for India’s upcoming tour against New Zealand will depend entirely on fitness clearance.

The 31-year-old cricketer has not featured in a match since October, when he sustained the injury during the third and final ODI against Australia in Sydney.

Shreyas Iyer’s Recovery Timeline

Iyer was hospitalised with a spleen laceration and internal bleeding following the Sydney ODI. The BCCI announced his release in early November, after which the right-handed batter began a structured recovery programme.

A source from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru confirmed to PTI that Iyer is progressing as planned but remains under medical monitoring.

“Shreyas successfully completed the first 50-over RTP (return to play) match on January 2, 2026,” the official told PTI on Saturday. “He will be playing the Vijay Hazare match on January 6 as part of his second RTP match before final fitness clearance.”

His selection for India’s national duties will be assessed only after this process is completed, following his Vijay Hazare outing.

Iyer will feature for Mumbai in the premier 50-over domestic competition, sharing the field with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his Vijay Hazare Trophy return on December 31 against Goa.

India are scheduled to face New Zealand in a three-match ODI series followed by five T20Is, with the tour running from January 11 to January 31. This will mark the Men in Blue’s preparations for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.

(With PTI Inputs)