India vs New Zealand: India have named a 16-player squad for their five-match T20I series in New Zealand. The biggest news is the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He is back in the national team after four years.
Bhuvneshwar last played for India in November 2022. That was also against New Zealand. He is now 36 years old. His strong IPL form earned him another chance. In 2026, he took 28 wickets for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. His economy rate was 7.95. That was a key reason for his recall.
His return came after Ajit Agarkar stepped down as chief selector. That change opened the door for him.
Varun Chakaravarthy is also back. The spinner had a side strain. Shreyas Iyer will captain the side. Tilak Varma is the vice-captain. The squad have two wicketkeepers, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also included.
The series starts on October 22. The first two T20Is are in Christchurch. The third is in Wellington. The fourth is in Auckland. The fifth is in Hamilton. All matches start at 12:30 PM IST.
India vs New Zealand T20I Series: Highs of the Indian squad
India’s T20I squad for New Zealand has a few important stories.
The biggest one is the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He last played a T20I for India in November 2022, also in New Zealand. His comeback is a reward for a strong IPL 2026 season. He took 28 wickets in 16 matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Only Kagiso Rabada took more wickets that season. Bhuvneshwar also picked up four wickets in the knockout games. He took two in Qualifier 1 and two in the final.
Varun Chakaravarthy is also back. He had a side strain from the T20I series against Afghanistan in September. Before that, he had a hamstring injury in July. He replaces Ravi Bishnoi. Bishnoi was in the squad for the West Indies T20Is but did not take a wicket in the Asian Games final against Pakistan. Varun and Kuldeep Yadav give India two wrist-spinners. That adds variety to the bowling attack.
Shreyas Iyer stays as captain of the team. Tilak Varma is his deputy. Most of the squad is the same as the one playing against the West Indies. The top order still has Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are the wicketkeeping options. Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, and Nitish Kumar Reddy give all-round depth. Arshdeep Singh leads the pace attack. Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav bring raw pace. Naman Dhir offers another seam-bowling option.
India vs New Zealand T20I Series: Lows of the Indian squad
India’s T20I squad for New Zealand also has some clear gaps.
Jasprit Bumrah is not in the squad. That is a planned rest, not an injury or form issue. The selectors want to manage his workload. They want him fresh for the ODI and Test matches on this tour. The two-Test series is important for India’s World Test Championship final hopes. So resting him makes sense. But it does leave the T20I pace attack without its biggest threat.
Hardik Pandya is out with another injury. He has a stress response in his right shin bone. The medical team told him to rest completely for two weeks starting September 26. That rules him out of the entire white-ball tour. This is a big blow. Hardik is India’s top seam-bowling all-rounder. Without him, Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy will have to do more.
Harshit Rana is still not available. He got injured during rehab in early September. His absence leaves the pace attack even thinner.
Ravi Bishnoi has been dropped. It is a tough call based on form. He played in the Asian Games final but did not take a single wicket. Now that Varun Chakaravarthy is back, Bishnoi is the odd one out in a crowded spin group.
India vs New Zealand Series: A Look at the Indian Squad
The full squad includes Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav.
FAQs
Q. Who returned to India’s T20I squad?
A. Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned after four years.
Q. When did Bhuvneshwar last play for India?
A. Bhuvneshwar last played in November 2022.
Q. How many wickets did Bhuvneshwar take in IPL 2026?
A. Bhuvneshwar took 28 wickets for RCB.
Q. Who will captain India against New Zealand?
A. Shreyas Iyer will captain India.
Q. When does the T20I series start?
A. The series starts on October 22.
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