Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to India T20 squad for New Zealand tour as Smriti Mandhana takes over women's captaincy

Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back in the Indian T20 squad after a four-year gap for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. India will play five T20 matches, five one-day internationals and two test matches in New Zealand from October 22 to December 1, though squads for the one-day and test matches have not been announced yet.

Squad Changes

Shreyas Iyer will captain the T20 side while Tilak Varma serves as vice-captain. The 16-member T20 squad also includes Abhishek Sharma, wicketkeepers Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav. Bhuvneshwar last played a T20 international against New Zealand in Napier on November 22, 2022. His return is driven by strong IPL performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru where he took 17 wickets in 2025 and 28 wickets in 2026, his ability to swing the new ball in New Zealand conditions, and Jasprit Bumrah's absence from the squad. Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy also returns, replacing Ravi Bishnoi after recovering from a side strain that sidelined him earlier.

India-A And Women's Team

A 15-player India-A squad has been selected for three multi-day matches against New Zealand-A starting October 27, November 3, and November 10. Dhirubhai Jurel will captain the A-team, which features Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant subject to fitness clearance, Washington Sundar, Aqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, and Mukesh Kumar. Fast bowlers Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar earned spots after strong showings in the Irani Cup where they took six and eight wickets respectively. Meanwhile, the BCCI named Smriti Mandhana as the new captain of the women's team following Harmanpreet Kaur's resignation after a meeting with the board.

Context

International cricket boards regularly rotate squads and restructure leadership positions across formats to manage player workloads and build depth for upcoming global tournaments. Touring New Zealand traditionally presents unique challenges for touring batsmen and fast bowlers due to helpful seaming pitches and distinct weather conditions.