Bhuvneshwar Kumar Returns as India Announce Squad for New Zealand T20I Series

India have recalled veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, marking his return to the national side nearly four years after his last international appearance in the format.

The 36-year-old last played a T20I for India during their tour of New Zealand in November 2022. His return comes after an impressive IPL 2026 campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he played a key role in the team's successful title defence.

Bhuvneshwar finished the IPL 2026 season with 28 wickets from 16 matches, making him the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, just one wicket behind Purple Cap winner Kagiso Rabada. He was particularly effective in the knockout stages, claiming four wickets against Gujarat Titans — two in Qualifier 1 and another two in the final.

The experienced seamer had also impressed during the 2025 IPL season, when he picked up 17 wickets. Overall, Bhuvneshwar has represented India in 87 T20Is, taking 90 wickets at an average of 23.10 and an economy rate of 6.96.

Varun Chakravarthy Makes Comeback

Legspinner Varun Chakravarthy has also returned to the India squad after recovering from a side strain. The injury was suffered during the home T20I series against Afghanistan in September and subsequently ruled him out of the one-off match against Japan as well as the Asian Games.

Varun had only recently returned from a hamstring injury when he picked up the side strain in the opening match against Afghanistan. His return provides India with another experienced spin option alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel.

However, Ravi Bishnoi has been left out of the squad after being included in India's team for the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies.

Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana Remain Unavailable

India will continue to be without all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who suffered a fresh shin injury in late September. The injury also forced him to withdraw from India A's ODI series against Australia A.

Fast bowler Harshit Rana is another notable absentee as he continues to recover from an injury sustained during rehabilitation in early September.

Apart from the returning Bhuvneshwar and Varun, the squad largely remains unchanged from India's ongoing T20I series against the West Indies.

India Squad for New Zealand T20Is

• Shreyas Iyer (captain)

• Abhishek Sharma

• Sanju Samson

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

• Ishan Kishan

• Tilak Varma

• Axar Patel

• Shivam Dube

• Nitish Kumar Reddy

• Naman Dhir

• Prince Yadav

• Mayank Yadav

• Arshdeep Singh

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar

• Varun Chakravarthy

• Kuldeep Yadav

Bhuvneshwar's recall adds experience to India's pace attack, while Varun's return strengthens the spin department as India prepare for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.