BENGALURU, India, Oct 16, CMC – Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been added to India’s squad for the fifth and final T20I against West Indies as a possible replacement for injured left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh.
Singh was struck on his shoulder with a short delivery by pacer Shamar Joseph in the fourth T20I on Wednesday in Hyderabad, that forced him to retire hurt.
A release from the BCCI said, “A decision on his participation is likely to be taken prior to the game, based on his recovery.”
With his availability for Saturday’s final match in doubt, the interim selection committee, chaired by Pragyan Ojha, has added Kumar as fast-bowling cover.
Kumar has been impressive in his IPL performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) over successive title-winning seasons.
In IPL 2026, Bhuvneshwar picked up 28 wickets in 16 matches and finished second on the wickets chart behind Kagiso Rabada.
Speaking on Friday, bowling coach Morne Morkel said while Kumar had been added to the squad, “nobody is ruled out. All the guys are available… [Arshdeep] is recovering well after the blow he took on the shoulder, so I think he is definitely not ruled out for tomorrow, still available. But obviously, [the management] will make a call tomorrow at some stage.
“But we’re very excited to have [Bhuvneshwar] back in the mix. He has obviously done really well here [in Bengaluru] for RCB in the past, and I think his experience will add a lot of value to a… younger bowling attack.”
Singh is also part of the T20I squad that is set to depart for New Zealand on Sunday.
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