India vs England 1st T20 prediction: Who’ll win today’s IND vs ENG cricket match in Kolkata?

The 1st T20 cricket match of the 5-match series between India and England will take place on January 22 at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens. The T20I series will be followed by an ODI series of 3 matches.

Mohammed Shami, who has not played for India since the 2023 ODI World Cup final, is likely to make a comeback. The legendary fast bowler has been on a hiatus due to injury concerns.

The matches against England will help him prepare for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. Shami has been named in India’s 15-member team for the prestigious tournament starting on February 19.

Legendary cricketer Brendon McCullum will be England’s coach in white-ball cricket for the first time. The former New Zealand cricketer introduced “Bazball” in Test cricket for England. Termed after McCullum’s nickname, Baseball cricket refers England’s aggressive approach. Jos Buttler will lead England’s T20 team.

IND vs ENG: Head-to-head records

India have played 24 T20 matches against England so far. The records is pretty balanced. The Men in Blue have won 13 times while England have won 11.

These two teams had their last encounter in June 2024. It was the 2nd Semi-Final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. India, led by Rohit Sharma, won the match by 68 runs.

IND vs ENG 1st T20: How to watch

Online viewers can visit Disney+ Hotstar, which will live-stream the India vs England 1st T20 match from Kolkata.

Cricket fans who want to watch it on TV can tune into the Star Sports Network. The match will be broadcast on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Tamil. The match starts at 7 PM.

IND vs ENG 1st T20 Prediction

India played 26 T20I matches in 2024 and lost only twice. England, on the other hand, played 17 T20I matches in 2024 and 10 of those.

India, defending world champions, are in tremendous form even though stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are no longer part of the team. Under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, the Men in Blue have impressed with their performance.