- The Indian team will play a five-match T20I series in New Zealand
- The Indian team has been announced for this
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been given a place in the team after almost 4 years
IND vs NZ: India's T20 squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand has been announced. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to the T20 team after a four-year absence. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been chosen as the captain for the T20 series alongside Shreyas Iyer, while Tilak Verma will serve as the vice-captain. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been dropped from the squad. The Indian squad for the T20 series has been announced.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to the team after a four-year absence, while one player has been dropped from the T20 series. The Indian team will play a five-match T20I series in New Zealand. 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to the T20 team. He last played in this format on New Zealand soil in November 2022.
Bhuvi returns to the national team after two impressive IPL seasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The fast bowler was recently selected as the captain of the Indian team for the Hong Kong Sixers, but will not be able to play in the tournament due to his inclusion in the T20 squad.
Who was dropped from the T20 squad?
Jasprit Bumrah has been rested again for the T20 series due to workload. India against New Zealand A series of five ODIs followed by two Tests will be played.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya is not available for selection as he is still not fully fit. The only player left out of the current T20 squad is leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Bishnoi has been dropped from the squad after failing to take a wicket in the last three T20Is.
IND vs NZ: Indian squad announced for next week's New Zealand tour, Pragyan Ojha holds the reins
Reasons for excluding Bishnoi
These matches included the semi-finals and final of the 2026 Asian Games. Bishnoi's best performance since returning to the team came against Afghanistan, where he took three wickets. He did not take a wicket and conceded 60 runs in the Manchester T20 match played in England.
In the three-match T20 International series against Zimbabwe, he took one wicket in each match. This year, he has taken 10 wickets in 12 T20 Internationals at an average of 31.10. He conceded 44 runs in three overs in the gold medal match against Pakistan.
Who will replace Ravi Bishnoi?
India's mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty has returned to the squad after recovering from an injury suffered in the T20I series against Afghanistan. Varun played 16 T20 Internationals in 2026 and took 20 wickets at an average of 24.15. He has been struggling with injuries this year.
Varun will be playing a T20 international for the first time in New Zealand. So far he has played five T20I matches against New Zealand and has taken five wickets at an average of 34. This included the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he dismissed the in-form Tim Seifert.
India's T20 International Team: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Akshar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav
IND vs NZ: Game spoiled by 4 day rest, Jasprit Bumrah – Shubman Gill to miss 2 ODIs
How will New Zealand's T20 International team fare against India?
New Zealand will field an almost full strength squad for the five-match T20 International series. They have picked a team that focuses more on fast bowlers. Rachin Ravindra and Ben Sears will miss the T20 international series due to injuries.
New Zealand Team: Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zach Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith