India Bolsters T20I Squad with Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi for New Zealand Series

On Friday, Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi were included in India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Shreyas has been selected to replace Tilak Varma for the first three matches of the series, while leg-spinner Bishnoi has taken the place of all-rounder Washington Sundar in the squad.

Tilak recently underwent surgery for an abdominal issue and will be unavailable for the first three games against New Zealand. His participation in the remaining two matches will depend on his progress during recovery and training, as stated in a BCCI press release.

Washington Sundar, suffering from a side strain sustained during the first ODI against New Zealand, has been ruled out of the T20I series. This injury also caused him to miss the second ODI, leading to Ayush Badoni taking his place for the remainder of the 50-over series.

According to the BCCI’s media advisory, “Washington Sundar underwent scans after experiencing sudden discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling in the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on January 11. Following a consultation with an expert, he has been diagnosed with a side strain and advised to rest. He will later report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further injury management.”

Returning to the T20I squad after significant time away, Shreyas, who led Punjab Kings to the IPL final last year, last played a T20I in December 2023 against Australia. Bishnoi, who was part of India’s home series against England last year, has not been included in the format since then.

Revised India T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi.

Published on Jan 16, 2026