Kolkata : India have announced changes to their T20I squad to take on New Zealand in a five-match series ahead of next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The BCCI confirmed in a statement that Ravi Bishnoi and Shreyas Iyer – for the first three T20Is – have been slotted into the squad to replace the injured Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma.
Sundar has underwent scans after reporting an acute onset discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand and has been diagnosed with a side strain.
The India all-rounder has been advised to rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury.
India’s updated T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ravi Bishnoi.
Both Tilak and Washington are part of the T20I World Cup. Despite being ruled out due to injury, BCCI remains positive on their inclusion in the World Cup squad.
“By no means have Washington and Tilak been ruled out of the T20 World Cup. They are the first choice picks and will be given all the time to recover,” a BCCI official said.
Shreyas makes a comeback to T20I setup after a gap of almost 2.5 years, whereas Bishnoi comes in after 1 year.
