Bhuvneshwar Kumar Added To India's Squad After Arshdeep Singh Suffers Shoulder Injury Ahead Of 5th T20I Against WI

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been added to India's squad ahead of the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies. The series is levelled at 2–2, with the decider set to be played in Bengaluru on Saturday. The BCCI announced the change on Friday, providing an update on Arshdeep Singh's injury sustained during the fourth T20I.

"The Men's Selection Committee has added Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the India squad for the fifth Muthoot FinCorp T20I against West Indies. The final match of the ongoing T20I series will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on October 17, 2026," said BCCI in a press note released by them.

"Bhuvneshwar Kumar was added to the squad after Arshdeep Singh sustained a blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I of the series against West Indies on Wednesday in Hyderabad. A decision on his participation for the final T20I will be taken prior to the game based on his recovery," the press note further added.

Selected For New Zealand Tour

Last week, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was picked for India's T20I team that will be travelling to New Zealand for a five-match series starting on October 22. With this, he marked his comeback to the national side after four years, as he last played for India way back in 2022.

He was dropped after the 2022 T20 World Cup. It seemed the team management had moved on from him, giving opportunities to youngsters.

However, Bhuvneshwar forced his way back into the team with a phenomenal run in the IPL. He played a key role in RCB's back-to-back title wins in 2025 and 2026.

Bhuvneshwar finished IPL 2026 with 28 wickets from 16 games and helped RCB defend their title. He ended the season with an economy rate of 7.95, even as batters dominated on pitches that offered little assistance to bowlers.

He carried that form into the UP T20 League in August and September, taking 14 wickets in 11 matches.

How Arshdeep Singh Got Injured

Arshdeep Singh got injured after being struck on his bowling shoulder and upper arm by a high-speed short-pitched delivery (bouncer) from West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph during the final over of India's chase in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad.

India’s updated T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [WK], Sanju Samson [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

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