Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made his return to India’s T20I squad, with the BCCI’s senior selection committee naming the 36-year-old pacer in the 16-member squad for the five-match series against New Zealand.
Interestingly, Bhuvneshwar’s last appearance for India also came in New Zealand, in November 2022, shortly after the T20 World Cup. The veteran pacer has now earned a recall after two impressive IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The 2026 IPL season was particularly successful for Bhuvneshwar, who finished with 28 wickets at an economy rate of 7.95, making a strong case for his return to the national side.
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 Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
The squad also marks the return of Varun Chakaravarthy. The 35-year-old spinner endured an injury-hit 2026 and was last seen in action during India’s T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi, where he suffered a side strain. The injury subsequently ruled him out of the one-off T20I against Japan and the Asian Games.
Chakaravarthy returns to the squad in place of Ravi Bishnoi.
The rest of the squad is largely similar to the team currently involved in the T20I series against the West Indies. Jasprit Bumrah has not been included, with the pacer’s workload management understood to be a factor, especially with India set to play a crucial two-Test series later in the New Zealand tour.
India’s tour of New Zealand will begin on October 22, with the first T20I scheduled at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar included in India A squad
Meanwhile, the selectors have also named a strong 15-member India A squad for the three multi-day matches against New Zealand A.
As reported earlier, Bengal pacers Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar have been included in a strong fast-bowling group that also features Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary.
Akash Deep impressed in the recently concluded Irani Cup, where he claimed six wickets, while Mukesh Kumar returned an eight-wicket haul in Rest of India’s 167-run victory.
The inclusion of the two experienced pacers could prove important ahead of India’s Test series against New Zealand, with both players understood to be in contention for the senior side.
The India A squad also includes several players with Test experience, including KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel and Manav Suthar.
Washington Sundar, who was recently withdrawn from the T20I squad against the West Indies, has also been included. Rishabh Pant is part of the squad as well, although his participation remains subject to fitness clearance.
The three India A matches will be played from October 27, November 3 and November 10 in Lincoln, Christchurch and Lincoln respectively.
India’s first Test against New Zealand is scheduled to begin on November 19 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
India A squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant (wk)*, Dhruv Jurel (c/wk), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar.
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