Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his comeback to the Indian plans in the T20I format and the veteran seamer has been called up in the upcoming five-match series against NZ. The 36-year-old has now been given a second look after an impressive performance in his IPL 2026 campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they defended their title instead.The 36-year-old was lucky to get the spotlight on him after his stellar IPL 2026 campaign with RCB, where he picked up 28 wickets in the successful title defence. Varun Chakravarthy has also been brought home up from a side strain condition and Ravi Bishnoi is also absent from the squad which will depart to New Zealand later this month.
Bhuvneshwar’s debut in pink is certainly a huge positive for the ex-India spinner who last got his last call-up in November 2022 during India’s ODI debut in New Zealand. The role of his comeback has been massive because of his outstanding performances with the ball in the IPL, where his experience and control brought him back once again as one of the most effective Indian seamers of the tournament.
In IPL 2026, Bhuvneshwar has scalped 28 wickets in 16 matches, and improved his performance from last year, where he was a single wicket short of being awarded the Purple Cap by Kangaroo Kagisogole Rabada. When RCB galloped through the knockout rounds, his performances were of a great significance. At Qualifier 1 and final against Gujarat Titan, he took 2 wickets in both matches himself to fuel the triumph of RCB in retaining the championship.
The record was even better than his previous season, where he grabbed $17 wickets at field. He also brings a new player to a young Indian firing line-up comprising Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh. In eight-time T20I appearance, Bhuvneshwar has picked up 90 wickets in 87 matches at an average of 23.10 while having an economy rate of 6.96.
The skill of his new ball and bowl swinging accurate variations at the end of the field could well come in very handy at Matunga. He would also be one of the oldest specialists to feature in an international game of India in the 11. The specialist bowlers were younger, just like Ashish Nehra at 38 years 186 days, who had made his last appearance for the country or Shute Banerjee at 37 years 124 days for his one appearance.
Initially, though, Bhuvneshwar will need to make a cut out of a growing pool of bowlers. India have a couple of options in their bowling in the form of Arshdeep, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy. His experience might still have benefits for them, however, especially if India require an established presence to manage the power play and closing overs.
However, the return of Varun is yet another reason for the team to be happy. The injured player had just recovered from a hamstring injury prior to the T20I series in his home country when he picked up an injury on the side of his body in the first match against Afghanistan. The injury saw him ruled out for the Asian Games as well as the one-off, Twenty20I match series against Japan, but is now fit and ready again.
With Varun added in, India’s spin quality is enhanced. He has the ability to bowl through the middle of the ovation and attack the aggressive opponents making him a useful cogs in India’s T20 plans. Mumbai have several choices to play spin with in New Zealand as compared to at home as NZ’s weather is expected to differ.
Despite the team having two strong absentees though. T20I veteran Ravi Bishnoi has not been included in India’s squad for the New Zealand series as he will head to the sub-continent for the T20WC. His omission in this regard is despite his performance at international level and the competition for getting a spot in the Indian spin department.
There is Hardik Pandya who is also unavailable due to a fresh injury to his shin in late September. Shooting star Harshit Rana will not feature in India A’s 1-day contests with Australia A either till the time he is out of action due to an injury that occurred during rehabilitation in early-September.
The rest of the India team is the same that is up against West Indies in the group. Shreyas Iyer will retain his batting talents and continue as a captain while Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma will be on offer. There is also more all-round feelers in the form of Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Naman Dhir.
Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav are all speedsters for India, while Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav have specialist bowlers’ options. Between the two, India have plenty of choices remaining until the five-match series is played.
Lastly, it is not just a consolation to come off an IPL season such as Bhuvneshwar has just been through. It provides India with a veteran bowler who has been bowling in various conditions for several years, and will be familiar with the requirements of international T20 cricket. He made his last appearance for India almost four years ago, but he has now made his presence felt in the context of IPL 2026.
Bhuvneshwar will hence get a chance to prove his international career has more story to tell in the New Zealand series. Headed by Varun, India also have some younger players fighting for their spots in the T20 series, so there is plenty of experience, form and depth in their mix going into the series.
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