Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to India’s T20 squad for New Zealand tour
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Veteran fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has earned a recall to India’s T20 international squad after a four-year absence from the national team.
The 36-year-old pacer was included in India’s 16-member squad announced on Tuesday for the five-match T20 series against New Zealand. The series will begin on October 22 in Christchurch.
Bhuvneshwar last represented India in a T20 international in November 2022. His return follows an impressive campaign in the 2026 Indian Premier League, where he played a key role for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The experienced seamer claimed 28 wickets during the 2026 IPL season while maintaining an economy rate of 7.95, helping Bengaluru retain their title.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy has also been recalled, while Shreyas Iyer will lead the side.
India have decided to rest fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as part of their workload management plan. Bumrah recently played an important role in India’s gold-medal campaign at the Asian Games in Japan.
The New Zealand tour will also include five ODIs and two Test matches, although the squads for those formats will be announced at a later date by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
India’s T20 squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
