India are banking on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s experience and recent success in the Indian Premier League to strengthen their bowling attack ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Captain Shreyas Iyer believes the veteran pacer’s understanding of the shortest format will be valuable for a bowling unit that has lacked experience in recent months. Bhuvneshwar, 36, has returned to India’s T20I squad after an absence of nearly four years. His selection comes after impressive performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, helping the franchise secure consecutive IPL titles in 2025 and 2026.
India will hope the experienced seamer can carry that momentum into international cricket, with the opening T20I scheduled for Thursday. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Iyer highlighted the importance of having an experienced bowler in the squad, particularly after India introduced several new faces to their pace attack.
“Bhuvi brings a lot of experience to the team. And we were lacking that, especially after the IPL. We had a lot of new bowlers,” Shreyas Iyer said. “But in T20, if you see his career graph, he has won the IPL in each of the last two years. So, he has a very good idea of how to dominate this format.”
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India’s bowling resources have faced scrutiny in recent months, especially in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Young fast bowlers, including Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar, have been tested on batting-friendly surfaces where containing opposition batters has proved difficult.
Bhuvneshwar’s return provides India with a reliable option who can exploit movement with the new ball and deliver under pressure. The right-arm pacer has claimed 90 wickets in 88 T20Is, while his recent IPL record further strengthens his case. He picked up 17 wickets in the 2025 season before adding 28 more in 2026, taking his tally to 45 wickets across the two campaigns.
However, adapting to New Zealand’s conditions could prove crucial for India. The hosts are familiar with their quicker pitches and local playing conditions, which may offer greater assistance to fast bowlers than some of the surfaces India regularly encounter at home. Iyer, though, remained confident that his team could adjust quickly. “If you look at the conditions here, fast bowling suits here. It’s not like the conditions are completely different. In England, the way we played, they had prepared wickets according to our batting,” he pointed out.
The India captain added that the team would need to assess the surface during practice before deciding on its approach.
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“But on a given day, no one knows how the wicket will be. So, we will try to acclimatise as soon as possible. And once we have a good practice session, every individual will get a fair idea of how to plan,” he said. Iyer also acknowledged New Zealand’s advantage of playing in familiar conditions, although India’s consistent match exposure and strong team chemistry could help them compete. “Yeah, we’ve been playing consistently and there is a camaraderie in the team. And talking about the home conditions, the advantage they have is definitely knowing about what the conditions are on different wickets. So, that’s the only difference,” he concluded.
With Bhuvneshwar back in the setup, India will look to combine experience with youthful energy as they begin their T20I campaign against New Zealand.
