Bhuvneshwar Kumar Added to India Squad for T20I Decider After Arshdeep Singh's Shoulder Injury

The BCCI has added Bhuvneshwar Kumar to India's squad for the fifth and final T20I against West Indies. The move follows an injury to Arshdeep Singh. The board announced the change on Friday, October 16. The series is level at 2-2. The decider is at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17. It starts at 7:00 PM IST.

Arshdeep sustained a blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The BCCI said a decision on his participation in the decider will be taken before the match. It will depend on how he recovers. Bhuvneshwar joins as a new option in the pace attack.

Arshdeep had a tough night in that match. He gave away 52 runs in four overs and bowled six wides. He was retired out on 5 in India's chase. West Indies won by 24 runs and levelled the series. India bowled 13 wides in the innings. West Indies made 247 for 3, with captain Shai Hope hitting an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls.

Bhuvneshwar is 36 years old and brings long experience. He has played 87 T20Is for India and taken 90 wickets at an average of 23.10. His last India game came in New Zealand in November 2022. He returned to the T20I squad on October 6, when he was named for the five-match series in New Zealand. That series starts on October 22 in Christchurch.

His recall came after a strong IPL 2026. He took 28 wickets in 16 matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. His economy rate was 7.95. RCB defended their title that season. The Chinnaswamy Stadium is also the home ground of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Bhuvneshwar is known for his swing with the new ball.

India have other pace options in the squad, including Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav. Shreyas Iyer leads the T20I side and Tilak Varma is the vice-captain. The squad and the full series details are on the event pages linked below.