Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi join India's squad for T20I series against New Zealand
Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi (Source: IG/@shreyasiyer96 and bishnoi6476)
Published - 16 Jan 2026, 03:49 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi have been added to India's squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting January 21. Iyer has come in for Tilak Varma for the first three games. Tilak was ruled out of the first three games after undergoing testicular surgery in Rajkot and continues his rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, Bishnoi has replaced Washington Sundar for the entire series. Sundar suffered a side strain during the first ODI against New Zealand at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. He has been ruled out of the entire white-ball series.
Sundar has been advised "rest" by the BCCI's medical panel and will report to the Centre of Excellence (CoE) afterwards.
Notably, Iyer's last appearance for India in the shortest format of the game came on December 3, 2023, against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He has aggregated 1104 runs in 51 T20Is, averaging 30.66 at a strike rate of 136.12, including eight fifties.
On the other hand, Bishnoi last donned the India jersey in T20Is on February 2, 2025, against England at Wankhede. He has snared 61 wickets in 42 games at an economy rate of 7.35, including two four-fers.
India to fine-tune prep for T20 World Cup against Kiwis
The opening encounter of the T20I series will be played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur. All eyes will be on Suryakumar Yadav, who is eager to roar back to form.
Suryakumar couldn't manage a single half-century in 2025 in T20Is, and therefore, the series against the Kiwis is a wonderful chance for him to break the rut in time as India's T20 World Cup defense hinges on his shoulders. The bilateral contest will end in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31.
India’s updated 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.
