Bhuvneshwar Kumar added to India squad for 5th West Indies T20 as Arshdeep Singh’s fitness remains uncertain

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is making a return to the India T20 squad. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Men’s Selection Committee has added Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the India squad for the fifth T20I against West Indies. The series decider will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17, 2026.

Bhuvneshwar’s inclusion follows a blow to Arshdeep Singh’s bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I against West Indies in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

A decision on Arshdeep’s availability for the final T20I will be taken before the match, depending on his recovery.

Earlier this month, India recalled Bhuvneshwar for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand later this month. The 36-year-old last represented India in a T20I against New Zealand in November 2022.

His recall comes on the back of an impressive IPL 2026 campaign, in which he claimed 28 wickets to finish as the second-highest wicket-taker as Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defended its title.

Bhuvneshwar has played 87 T20Is for India, taking 90 wickets at an average of 23.10 and an economy rate of 6.96.

Updated India squad

Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [WK], Sanju Samson [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.