This work investigates the influence of equi-biaxial stress state on the deformation response of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in mill-annealed condition using a newly designed cruciform specimen geometry. The proposed geometry was validated using a non-contact strain measurement technique to obtain maximum plastic strain in the gage section. It is observed that the elasto-plastic response of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was profoundly influenced by the stress state and the loading orientation with respect to the rolling direction. The strengthening effect and the in-plane plastic anisotropic evolution observed under equi-biaxial stress state was ascribed to the presence of strong crystallographic texture in the as-received condition. The dominant deformation mechanisms operating under equi-biaxial stress state were deduced from the texture evolution studies. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.