Bhuvneshwar Kumar Returns to India T20 Squad After 4 Years
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes a major comeback to the India T20 squad for the series against New Zealand after a four-year hiatus.
In a major boost for the Indian bowling attack, veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been recalled to the national side. The selection committee announced the squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, marking a significant comeback for the seasoned swing bowler.
A Grand Comeback for the 'Swing King'
This call-up ends a long wait for the veteran, who has not played an international T20I for India since the high-stakes 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal against England in Adelaide. His resurgence has been fueled by an extraordinary run of form in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Bhuvneshwar has been instrumental in the franchise's back-to-back titles in 2025 and 2026. His recent IPL statistics highlight his renewed potency:
- Overall IPL Performance: 45 wickets in 31 matches at an average of 22.55.
- Recent Season Impact: 28 scalps in 16 matches with an economy of 7.95.
With 294 wickets across all international formats, the 36-year-old is now on the cusp of a massive milestone: reaching 300 international wickets.
India's T20I Squad vs New Zealand
The squad features a mix of seasoned leaders and rising talents to face the Kiwis starting October 22:
- Captain: Shreyas Iyer
- Vice-Captain: Tilak Varma
- Wicket-keepers: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan
- All-rounders/Batsmen: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav
- Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav
India A Squad and Fitness Concerns
Alongside the senior T20I squad, the selectors have named the India A squad for three multi-day matches against New Zealand A, scheduled from October 24 to November 10. The senior squad will later face New Zealand in five ODIs and two Test matches starting November 19.
The India A roster includes heavyweights such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar. However, a major question mark remains over the fitness of Rishabh Pant. The wicket-keeper-batsman's participation is subject to medical clearance following a recent bout of fever during the Irani Cup.
India A Full Squad
The India A lineup consists of:
- 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 Sudarsan
- Yash Rathod
- Mukesh Kumar
* Subject to fitness.