Bhuvneshwar Kumar added to India squad after Arshdeep Singh suffers shoulder injury

Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar

India have added veteran fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar to their squad for the fifth and final T20I against West Indies after Arshdeep Singh suffered a blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth match in Hyderabad on Wednesday.The series decider will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17. Arshdeep’s availability will be assessed before the match, with a decision to be taken based on his recovery.

Bhuvneshwar has been called up as cover for the injured left-arm pacer. The 36-year-old was already part of India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.Bhuvneshwar last represented India in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, making his potential return to the national side a significant development.

His inclusion also comes on the back of an impressive IPL 2026 campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.The experienced pacer played a key role in RCB’s successful title defence as the franchise secured back-to-back IPL titles. He finished the 2026 season with 28 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of 7.95, making him the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament behind Kagiso Rabada.

India head into the final T20I with the five-match series level at 2-2 after West Indies registered a 24-run victory in Hyderabad.

The hosts will now look to seal the series in Bengaluru, while Bhuvneshwar’s addition provides them with another experienced pace option ahead of the decider.India’s updated T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 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.