India's squad for New Zealand T20Is: Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns
What's the story
In a major development, veteran fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to India's T20I squad. The BCCI's senior selection committee named the 36-year-old seamer for the upcoming five-match series in New Zealand. Bhuvneshwar, who last played for India in 2022, will be part of the strong pace attack, including Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, and Arshdeep Singh. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the series.
Return
Bhuvi returns!
Bhuvneshwar's return to the national team comes after two stellar seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with two-time winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The 2026 season was especially memorable for him as he bagged 28 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.95.
Interestingly, Bhuvneshwar last played for India during India's New Zealand tour in 2022.
He has already represented India in 87 T20Is, 121 ODIs, and 21 Tests.
Information
A look at India's squad
India's T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), 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.
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A look at his numbers
Bhuvneshwar is one of India's seven bowlers to have taken 90-plus T20I wickets. In 87 games, the right-arm seamer has taken 90 wickets at an average of 23.10. He is among the few players with multiple T20I fifers.
Information
NZ vs IND: T20I series schedule
The first match of the five-match T20I series between New Zealand and India will be held at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on October 22. The remaining matches are scheduled for October 24 (Christchurch), 27 (Wellington), 30 (Auckland), and November 1 (Hamilton).