Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets surprise India call-up, could play in final T20I against West Indies

BENGALURU: Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has received a surprise call-up to the national team, joining the squad for the fifth and final T20I against West Indies after being named in India’s squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. The series-deciding match will be played at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. Bhuvneshwar has been added to the squad as cover for Arshdeep Singh, who sustained a shoulder injury during Wednesday’s match in Hyderabad. A decision on Arshdeep’s availability will be made before the match after assessing his recovery.

Bhuvneshwar last represented India in a T20 international in November 2022. He received the call-up while training at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru as part of his preparations for the New Zealand tour. His impressive performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 paved the way for his return to the national setup. The pacer claimed 28 wickets in 16 matches, finishing among the tournament’s leading wicket-takers. Although he has been away from international cricket for some time, his IPL performances have put him in contention for an international comeback.

Bhuvneshwar was expected to return to the Indian team during the New Zealand tour, but he could get an opportunity sooner than anticipated.

West Indies levelled the five-match series at 2-2 with a 24-run victory in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. The final match will decide the series winners.

India’s Updated T20I Squad

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.