India's squad for the first T20 match against New Zealand: possible player list

Before the start of the T20 series, teams from India and New Zealand were warmly welcomed in a special traditional style in New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared photos on social media showing Indian and New Zealand players during a traditional Māori greeting. Among these pictures were Shreyas Iyer and New Zealand captain Michelle Santner.

The BCCI accompanied the post with the caption: 'Beautiful Māori greeting to start the tour.' The board also announced that the series between India and New Zealand will begin on October 22.

In New Zealand Māori culture, this traditional greeting is called Hongi. In it, two people approach each other to touch noses. In some cases, they also touch foreheads. This is not just a way of greeting but a symbol of mutual unity and connection.

Behind this ceremony is the symbolic representation of exchanging life breath, known as 'Ha'. Thanks to this, guests and locals are able to establish relationships and a sense of closeness. This greeting is used at traditional gatherings and major celebrations of the Māori community, after which a handshake may follow.

Although Hongi is an important part of the cultural traditions of the Māori people, due to the threat of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, some tribes and their councils temporarily suspended this greeting. The photos of the Indian and New Zealand players demonstrated the cultural connection between the two countries at the beginning of the cricket tour. Both teams will now meet on the field in the T20 International series, which starts on October 22.

During the fourth T20I series against West Indies, held in Hyderabad, Arshdeep Singh sustained an injury. Consequently, Bhubneshwar Kumar was included in the team's squad. The decision regarding his participation in the final T20I will be made before the match, based on his recovery.

This was reported by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a press release issued on Friday (October 16). There is a question of whether Bhubneshwar Kumar will get a chance to play for his home team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), at the M Chinnaswamy stadium during the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Bhubneshwar's last international T20 match was on November 22, 2022, in Napier against New Zealand. Since then, he has not played for the Indian national team in T20 format. Now, all attention is focused on his return to the Bangalore T20 squad against West Indies.

Bhubneshwar is already part of the squad for the five-match T20 series against New Zealand. In IPL 2026, he performed excellently, taking 28 wickets at an economy rate of 7.95. In total, across 87 international T20 matches, he has taken 90 wickets and will have the opportunity to reach 100 international T20 bowling wickets during the tour of New Zealand.

The BCCI also clarified that the decision to include Bhubneshwar in the Bangalore T20 squad depends on Arshdeep Singh's recovery. The injury to the Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh occurred in his left shoulder and upper arm (biceps) during the fourth T20 in Hyderabad.

Despite Arshdeep Singh taking 5 wickets in four matches of the series against India and West Indies at an economy rate of 10.93, he remains the most successful Indian bowler in this series. The most successful Indian bowler in the series is Roston Chase from West Indies, who took 6 wickets at an economy rate of 9.06 over four matches.

Changes in the Indian team's starting lineup largely depend on Arshdeep's injury. If he cannot play, Bhubneshwar Kumar might get a chance as an unexpected player. If Bhubneshwar plays in Bangalore, it will be an advantage since it is the home ground of the RCB team. Bhubneshwar Kumar has been playing for RCB since the 2025 season and has extensive experience here and knowledge of local conditions.

If Bhubneshwar Kumar plays for the Indian team, there might be a change in the squad, giving a chance to Kuldeep Yadav. However, in this crucial match, Gautam Gambhir is unlikely to make changes to the Indian squad, so Vaibhav Suryavanshi will likely remain out of the team. Overall, only one change might occur.

The projected Indian starting XI for Bangalore T20 includes Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Naman Dira, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, Arshdeep Singh/Bhubneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, and Minka Yadav.

The updated Indian T20 squad includes Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Akshar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Minka Yadav, Naman Dira, and Bhubneshwar Kumar.

In the four T20 matches of the series between India and West Indies, which concluded on Wednesday (October 14) with India losing by 24 runs and the series tied at 2-2, the fifth and decisive match will take place in Bangalore on Saturday (October 17). This match will determine the winner of the series.

However, throughout the first four encounters of this T20 series between India and West Indies, Vaibha Suryavanshi was not in the starting lineup, although he was often present with the team during water breaks. This raised several questions regarding the reasons for his absence from the squad. He is likely to be on the bench again in the fifth T20 in Bangalore.

Vaibha's international career began on July 4, 2026, in Manchester against England in a T20, although he had previously participated in the tour of Ireland but did not receive playing time. To date, Vaibha has played 8 T20 matches, scoring 246 runs at an average of 30.75.

However, one statistic emerged: under Gautam Gambhir's leadership, Vaibha was given less playing time than when VVS Laxman served as the head coach of the Indian team.

Vaibha was first selected for the tour of Ireland, where two matches were held, both lost by the Indian team, but he did not play. His debut occurred in the second match of the five-match series on the tour of England. England won this series 4-0, and the first T20 in Chester-Le-Street was a draw.

During the tour of England, Vaibha played in three T20 matches in Manchester, Nottingham, and Bristol, scoring 42 runs at an average of 14. His strike rate was 168.

Next followed the tour of Zimbabwe, where Sandeep Samson was not part of the squad. Consequently, Vaibha was given the opportunity to start alongside Abhishek Sharma. In this series, Vaibha made a splash, becoming the 'Player of the Series' and scoring 151 runs in three matches at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 196.10. It is worth noting that for this tour in July 202, former Indian player VVS Laxman was appointed as the head coach of the Indian team.

This was followed by a three-match T20 series at home against Afghanistan, in which Vaibha Suryavanshi did not participate in any match. Then came a T20 international match against Japan, where Vaibha also did not play, and VVS Laxman was the head coach then.

Subsequently, the Asian Games 2026 took place, where the quarter-final against Afghanistan was cancelled. After this, India defeated Sri Lanka and then Pakistan in the semi-finals and final, winning the gold medal. Against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Vaibha played, scoring 38 and 15 runs respectively.

Thus, since Vaibha was included in the Indian squad, the team has played 21 matches. Gautam Gambhir acted as coach in 14 matches, while VVS Laxman coached in 7 matches. Including the T20 in Bangalore on Saturday, the total number of T20s in which Vaibha will be in the squad will reach 22.