A 16-person Team India squad was announced by the BCCI selectors on Tuesday, October 6, for the T20I series that would take place in New Zealand. From October 22 to November 1, the Men in Blue will play five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against the Black Caps. The matches will take place in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, and Hamilton.
The return of 36-year-old bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most significant development from the New Zealand T20Is squad announcement. In November 2022, the seasoned cricket player last played for India in a Twenty20 International match against New Zealand at Napier.
Several IPL stars are part of Team India’s roster for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand. In light of this, let’s examine the IPL team-by-team roster of Indian players for the Twenty20 Internationals versus the Black Caps.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy
Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Ishan Kishan are the three SRH players in the Indian T20I squad for the New Zealand series. Abhishek has been in decent form in 2026, scoring 509 runs in 17 T20I games with one century and three fifties with a strike rate of 210.
Ishan Kishan joined the SRH franchise in IPL 2025 and even captained them in IPL 2026. He made his return to the Indian team after three years of absence and has scored 1042 runs in 30 games with one century and 7 fifties with a strike rate of 168.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been in and out of the Indian team due to injury but has been backed by the BCCI and Indian team management as they look for a backup for Hardik Pandya. Reddy has been in good batting form and has been working hard on his bowling.
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh
Shreyas Iyer returned to the Indian T20I side after three years, and that too as captain. He replaced Suryakumar Yadav, who had won the T20 World Cup 2026, and Iyer knew he had a tough ask. After struggling a bit early on, Iyer has 511 runs in 17 T20Is, including his maiden century and two fifties.
Arshdeep Singh remains India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 141 wickets in 95 T20Is. He has 31 wickets in 23 T20Is in 2026, with the best bowling of 5/51.
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube
Sanju Samson has been under severe pressure to keep performing thanks to the emergence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan’s return. He has made 546 runs in 21 T20Is in 2026 with five fifties, but three of which came in the T20 World Cup, but after that, Sanju has struggled to keep the same form going.
Shivam Dube might not have many runs to show in T20Is in 2026, with only 532 runs in 30 games with two fifties, but he has been clutch in important matches. He made significant contributions in knockout games in the T20 World Cup and did the same in the Asian Games gold medal match.
Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel
Axar Patel has been excellent in powerplays for India in T20Is and has picked 29 wickets in 23 games this year. His fielding has been a plus for India, with two unforgettable catches against England in T20 World Cup semis and excellent bowling in the final.
Mumbai Indians: Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir
Tilak Varma has seemingly found his spot in India’s T20I XI at no. 5, where he can hit the pacers in death overs. He has 536 runs in 26 T20I games with 4 fifties at a strike rate of 147.25.
Naman Dhir impressed on his T20I debut with three wickets and is in good form in the format with the bat. He is coming off a record 173 in the Shere Punjab T20 league.
Lucknow Super Giants: Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav
India is banking on the young pacers Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav to do well in New Zealand conditions. This will be the first time they tour New Zealand, and they will love bowling on bouncy pitches and conditions that offer swing and seam.
Kuldeep Yadav’s return to the T20I cricket team is a welcome move, and he has taken 28 wickets in the last two years in 15 T20Is. He is only the second bowler from India to have more than one five-wicket haul in T20Is.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to the Indian T20I squad after four years. His inclusion is more to lend experience to the young Indian pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is returning to the Men in Blue side on the back of 45 wickets in RCB’s IPL 2025 and 2026 wins. Expect him to do well in New Zealand, where the ball swings and seams.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy will return to the Indian T20I side after a layoff due to injury. He had an amazing outing in 2025, with 33 wickets in 25 games, with a best of 4/53. He was also part of the T20 World Cup 2026 winning Indian team. Chakaravarthy suffered a hairline fracture during IPL 2026 and has been rehabbing at the CoE since then.
Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been waiting for a chance to get in the middle ever since the Zimbabwe T20Is. He has been warming the bench as India is opting for the experienced duo of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson at the top. However, there is pressure on Samson to perform or give way to Sooryavanshi. Sooryavanshi will want to bat on New Zealand pitches, where the ball comes onto the bat, and it’ll help him let himself loose.
