Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 36, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, check in to New Zealand tour for T20I series

In the first batch, five Indian players have touched down in Christchurch ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The group travelled alongside the full support staff as India begin their preparations for the five-match T20I series that runs from October 22 to November 1, 2026. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the senior-most player in the first batch, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest.

The two players represent contrasting points in their international careers, and both are confirmed among the five who made the journey to Christchurch.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's T20I return after nearly four years

The BCCI Men's Selection Committee announced India's 16-member squad on October 6, with Bhuvneshwar's inclusion marking a return to T20I cricket after a gap of nearly four years. The senior pro recently made his T20I return with the fifth T20I against the West Indies. However, the last time Bhuvneshwar delivered for India was on November 22, 2022, against the same opposition in Napier.

Across 87 T20Is, Kumar has taken 90 wickets at an average of 23.10 and an economy rate of 6.96, with the best figures of 5/4 and two five-wicket hauls. In all international formats combined, he has featured in 229 matches and claimed 294 wickets across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's T20I record entering the New Zealand series

Sooryavanshi, on the other hand, made his T20I debut against England in July 2026, becoming the youngest Indian to play international cricket and breaking a record long held by Sachin Tendulkar. Entering the New Zealand tour, Sooryavanshi had accumulated 246 runs across eight T20I appearances.

In the Zimbabwe T20I series played, he finished as the leading run-scorer with 151 runs as India won 3-0, earning the Player of the Series award. He struck a fifty off 19 balls in the series opener, the youngest player to register a half-century in men's international cricket, and followed that with 81 off 49 balls in the final match.

For the unversed, Jasprit Bumrah has been rested and is not part of the squad for this series. The first T20I is scheduled for October 22 in Christchurch, scheduled to get underway at 12:30 PM (Indian Standard Time).