Daryl Mitchell

The son of former New Zealand rugby union coach, John Mitchell, Daryl Mitchell is an all-rounder who bowls gentle medium pace, but it is his hitting ability that has attracted the minds of several people back in New Zealand.

Mitchell made his first-class debut for Northern Districts back in the 2011 domestic season, and since then has performed consistently for his side with both bat and the ball in hand.

The Canterbury cricketer is a complete package. Due to his all-round ability, Rajasthan Royals signed him for the 2022 Indian Premier League for INR 75 Lakhs at the 2021 mega-auction in Bangalore. Later, he played for Chennai Super Kings in 2024, scoring 318 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 142.60, with a top score of 63.

The Hamilton-born batter won the 'ICC Spirit of Cricket Award' in 2021 when he refused to take a single after colliding with Adil Rashid.

Daryl Mitchell Test Career

Daryl Mitchell was an injury replacement in the New Zealand Test squad in place of Colin de Grandhomme back in 2019. On November 29, 2019, in his debut Test match against England, Mitchell scored his maiden half-century, slamming 73 with impeccable control over his shot selection on a sluggish track at Hamilton.

In 2021, Pakistan toured New Zealand for a Test series, and Mitchell grabbed all the headlines in the second Test match of the series, scoring an unbeaten 102 with great maturity and composure.

In 2022, Mitchell maintained a highly successful Test tour in England, piling up a record 538 runs at an average of 107.60 in the three-match Test series. In the series, he became the first Kiwi batter to score centuries in 3 consecutive Test matches in England, only the sixth visiting batsman to score centuries in three successive Test match appearances in England, and also the first batter in the world to score hundreds in each match of an away series of three or more tests.

Notably, earlier, Mitchell was not even in contention for the series. But came in as a replacement for Henry Nicholls. The rest is history!

Daryl Mitchell ODI Career

Daryl Mitchell’s great start to 2021 continued in the subsequent ODI series against Bangladesh. In the third ODI of the tour, he slammed his first century in ODI cricket and announced his arrival in the ODI format in some style.

Since his debut in the fifty-over format, Mitchell has been in one of the hottest batting streaks that hasn’t made the noise that it should have.

Fast forward to 2025, in the New Zealand Tour of India 2025-26, Mitchell was in high-handed form during the series, logging scores of 84, 131 not out, and 137, which were key factors in New Zealand's unprecedented 2-1 series triumph.

With these performances, Mitchell achieved career-high points of 845, dethroning India stalwart Virat Kohli at the top of the men’s ODI batters’ rankings on January 21, 2025.

Daryl Mitchell T20I Career

Daryl Mitchell made his T20I debut on February 6, 2019, against India. He was then named in New Zealand's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Notably, Mitchell was asked to open the innings in the coveted tournament alongside Martin Guptill. In the semi-final game against England, his 72 not out helped New Zealand win by 5 wickets, and earned him the player of the match award.

In his first-ever opening experience, he amassed 208 runs in seven innings, averaging 34.66 with the bat and with a strike rate of 140.54. His batting prowess was also one of the crucial reasons that helped New Zealand reach the 2021 T20 World Cup final.

Mitchell has been a constant in New Zealand’s squads for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022, 2024, and 2026. 

(As of February 2026)