NEW DELHI: Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to India`s T20 squad after a four-year absence from international cricket as selectors on Tuesday named him for the tour of New Zealand.

The 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar, who last played a T20 for India in November 2022, is part of the 16-member squad for five matches starting October 22 in Christchurch.

India will also play five oneday internationals and two Tests on the tour, the squad for which will be announced later, said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Bhuvneshwar`s return comes on the back of two successful Indian Premier League seasons for champions RoyalChallengersBengaluru.

The veteran pace bowler shined in IPL 2026 with 28 wickets at an outstanding economy rate of 7.95 as Bengaluru defended their title.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy also makes a return to the squad, led by Shreyas Iyer.

Speedster Jasprit Bumrah has been rested as part of workload management after he played a key part in the team`s recent Asian Games gold medal in Japan.

Squad· Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samsort (wicket-keeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.-AFP