India announce updated T20I squad for New Zealand series

India have added Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi to their T20I squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. 

Shreyas Iyer will feature in the first three T20Is on January 21, 23 and 25, replacing Tilak Varma, while Ravi Bishnoi comes in as a replacement for Washington Sundar.

Tilak Varma is expected to miss only the first three matches, whereas Washington Sundar will be sidelined for the entire five-match series after scans revealed a side strain. 

The all-rounder has been advised to rest for a few days before reporting to the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further management.

These absences come shortly after the conclusion of the Men's T20 World Cup, which took place in India and Sri Lanka and ended less than a month ago.

Shreyas Iyer returns to the T20I squad for the first time since December 2023, when he last played against Australia in Bengaluru. 

The middle-order batter had a prolific IPL 2025 season, amassing 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07 and leading Punjab Kings to the final.

Ravi Bishnoi, meanwhile, last represented India in T20Is in January 2025 against England. The leg-spinner has played 42 T20Is to date, claiming 61 wickets.

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) and Ravi Bishnoi.