Samira Vishwas
Tezzbuzz|07-10-2026
Delhi: The Indian team has been announced for the 5-match T20I series against New Zealand. BCCI's Senior Selection Committee has given the biggest surprise in the 16-member squad and recalled 36-year-old star fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Interestingly, Bhuvneshwar Kumar played his last match for India in November 2022 on New Zealand soil. Now after about 4 years, he has returned to the T20I team again.
Wreaked havoc in IPL, 28 wickets for RCB
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has knocked on the door of the national team again by playing two brilliant IPL seasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). His performance in IPL 2026 was amazing, where he took a total of 28 wickets while bowling at an excellent economy of 7.95. Bhuvi's experience on the swing-friendly pitches of New Zealand can prove to be very beneficial for Indian bowling.
Bumrah got rest, Varun Chakraborty also returned
In comparison to the ongoing series against West Indies, not many changes have been made for the New Zealand tour.
Leading fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the T20I series under workload management, as an important 2-match Test series is also to be played at the end of the tour.Apart from this, 35 year old mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty has also returned to the team. After recovering from injury (side strain), Varun has been included in the 16-member squad in place of Ravi Bishnoi.
Indian T20I team squad for New Zealand tour:
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakraborty and Kuldeep Yadav.
Complete schedule of India vs New Zealand T20I series
| match | date | place |
| first t20i | 22 October | christchurch |
| 2nd T20I | 24 October | christchurch |
| 3rd T20I | 27 October | wellington |
| 4th T20I | 30 October | auckland |
| fifth t20i | November 1st | hamilton |
FAQ
When did Bhuvneshwar Kumar last play T20I for India?
Bhuvneshwar Kumar played his last T20I match for India against New Zealand in November 2022. Now after about 4 years he has returned to the team.
Why is Jasprit Bumrah not in the T20I series against New Zealand?
Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the 5-match T20I series under workload management. At the end of the New Zealand tour, India also has to play a 2-match test series.
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