Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made his return to India’s T20I squad after the BCCI’s senior selection committee named the experienced fast bowler in the 16-member squad for the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand.
The 36-year-old last represented India in a T20I against New Zealand in November 2022, shortly after the T20 World Cup. His impressive performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last two IPL seasons have now earned him a recall to the national setup.
Bhuvneshwar enjoyed a particularly successful IPL 2026 campaign, claiming 28 wickets while maintaining an excellent economy rate of 7.95. His consistency with the ball has played a key role in his return to the Indian T20I 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 includes the return of spinner Varun Chakaravarthy. The 35-year-old missed significant cricket in 2026 after suffering a side strain during the T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi.
The injury ruled Chakaravarthy out of the subsequent one-off T20I against Japan as well as the Asian Games. He is now back in contention for the New Zealand series, with Ravi Bishnoi making way for the returning spinner.
Bhuvneshwar’s recall adds considerable experience to India’s pace attack, while Chakaravarthy’s comeback strengthens the spin department ahead of the five-match T20I series.