The Board of Control for Cricket in India added the veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar to India's Twenty20 International squad on 16 October 2026, after Arshdeep Singh hurt his bowling shoulder. According to the BCCI, its Men's Selection Committee made the change ahead of the fifth and final T20I against West Indies, which was scheduled for the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 17 October.

Arshdeep took the blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday (14 October). West Indies won that match to bring the series level at 2-2, according to Deccan Herald. PTI describes the Bengaluru fixture as the series decider. Deccan Herald also reports that Keemo Paul took a five-for and Shai Hope scored a ton in the visitors' win.

Descriptions of Bhuvneshwar's role differ between outlets. The BCCI, Deccan Herald and PTI present him as an addition or "cover" for Arshdeep, while The Hindu's headline says he replaces the injured bowler for the final match. The BCCI statement did not rule Arshdeep out of the game, so his availability was still open when the squad change was announced.

The board's release, as reported by PTI, said: "A decision on his (Arshdeep) participation in the final T20I will be taken prior to the game based on his recovery." That wording indicates that the team management intended to judge the fast bowler's fitness close to the start of play, rather than settle the matter in advance.

The updated India squad, as listed by the BCCI, is Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Bhuvneshwar is 36 and comes from Meerut. Alongside 21 Tests and 121 ODIs, he has played 87 T20Is and taken 90 wickets, according to Deccan Herald. The same outlet says he last played international cricket four years ago. In the most recent IPL season he took 17 wickets for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who won back-to-back titles.

Bhuvneshwar had already been picked for India's T20 series against New Zealand, PTI reports. That series begins on 22 October in Christchurch. His inclusion in the squad for the West Indies decider therefore brings him back into the national set-up before that tour starts.