Mumbai: Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to India’s T20I squad, with the BCCI’s senior selection committee naming the 36-year-old fast bowler for the five-match series on the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
Incidentally, Bhuvneshwar’s last India appearance also came in New Zealand — in Napier in November 2022, right after the T20 World Cup. He has forced his way back after two outstanding IPL campaigns for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking 45 wickets across the 2025 and 2026 seasons. IPL 2026 was particularly fruitful: 28 wickets at an economy of just 7.95 as RCB defended their title.
India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav
Varun back, Bishnoi out
The 16-member squad also sees Varun Chakravarthy return after an injury-hit 2026. The mystery spinner last played a T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi, where a side strain ruled him out of the one-off game against Japan and the Asian Games. He replaces Ravi Bishnoi.
Bumrah rested
Jasprit Bumrah has not been picked for the T20Is, with workload management the priority ahead of the two-Test series later in the tour. The rest of the squad is largely the group currently facing West Indies at home.
Shreyas Iyer continues as captain — his fourth overseas bilateral assignment — with Tilak Varma as deputy. The tour begins with the first T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on October 22.
India A squad also named
The selectors also named a 15-member India A squad, led by Dhruv Jurel, for three multi-day matches against New Zealand A. The ODI and Test squads for the senior team will be announced later.
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