Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in Indian team after 4 years; Jasprit Bumrah rested as squad for New Zealand T20Is announced

Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to the Indian setup after 4 years. Jasprit Bumrah is rested for the New Zealand T20Is while Varun Chakaravarthy also makes a comeback.

Updated on: Oct 6, 2026, 21:18:52 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, beginning October 22. There were no major changes to the squad, and the status quo has been maintained. However, the biggest talking point was the inclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, as the seasoned pacer returned to the Indian squad after nearly four years, with his last appearance coming in the T20 World Cup semi-final loss to England at the Adelaide Oval in November 2022.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar last played for India in November 2022

Bhuvneshwar has been in remarkable form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the last two editions for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), taking 45 wickets across those seasons. His performance was the main reason behind the franchise winning the tournament back-to-back. The seasoned campaigner was recently appointed as India's captain for the Hong Kong Sixes, but with his inclusion in the squad for the New Zealand T20Is, the 36-year-old is set to miss the tournament.

Also Read: Ajit Agarkar's tenure officially comes to an end as BCCI invites applications for one position on selection committee

The Men in Blue will be led by Shreyas Iyer, while Tilak Varma will serve as his deputy. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi held on to his spot, and it would be interesting to see whether the youngster gets a chance in the five-match series. There's no Jasprit Bumrah in the squad, and it's no surprise, as the management would want to preserve him for the ODIs and Tests. Varun Chakaravarthy, who suffered an injury during the series against Afghanistan, also regained full fitness and hence was named in the team for the New Zealand T20Is.

Since Ajit Agarkar's tenure officially ended, Pragyan Ojha led the meeting in the capacity of the interim chief selector. India are slated to face New Zealand in five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. However, the selectors are yet to name the team for the other two assignments.

India A squad

The selection committee also confirmed the India A squad for the three Multi-Day matches against New Zealand A. KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar have all been named in the squad as the team management wants these players to have some experience of playing in the Kiwi conditions ahead of the two-Test series.

Pant's inclusion in the A squad is subject to fitness after the wicketkeeper-batter suffered a bout of fever in the Irani Cup final against Jammu and Kashmir. The first A Test between India A and New Zealand is scheduled to begin on October 4 while the third and final match will get underway on November 7,

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.

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 Sudarsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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