The BCCI Men’s Selection Committee on Tuesday (October 6) announced India’s 16-member squad for the upcoming away five-T20I series against New Zealand, starting October 22 in Christchurch.

Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback to the national fold after nearly four years headlined the squad. His last appearance for India was in November 2022.

Bhuvneshwar, 36, was rewarded for his brilliance in the IPL over the last two seasons, serving as a vital architect in RCB’s historic back-to-back championship campaigns. In the 2026 edition, he was phenomenal, picking up 28 wickets and finishing with the best economy rate among the top five wicket-takers.

The rest of the T20I squad is almost the same currently facing West Indies in a five-match series at home.

It features Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan as top-order batting options, while the middle-order includes captain Shreyas Iyer and his deputy Tilak Varma.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube are the seam-bowling all-rounders in the lineup. On the other hand, Axar Patel and Naman Dhir are there as spin-bowling all-rounders.

Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack alongside Varun Chakaravarthy, who is missing the ongoing series against the West Indies due to side strain. In addition to Bhuvneshwar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav will look after the pace department.

India’s squad for New Zealand T20Is: 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