Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya are likely to be rested for the ODI leg of the eight-match white-ball series against New Zealand.
The three-match ODI series is scheduled to commence on January 11.
It is understood that the duo will return for the five T20Is to follow. The 20-over series will serve as crucial gametime for two experienced players in the T20I setup with the T20 World Cup 2026 set to be played in February and March.
Hardik has not played a single ODI for India since the Champions Trophy final earlier in the year. On the other hand, Bumrah has not featured in an ODI since the final of the 2023 World Cup in November. Unlike Hardik, Bumrah has been a regular feature of the Test setup. Hardik has transformed himself to be purely a white-ball player after being increasingly injury-prone while playing Tests.
After an injury layoff recently, Hardik recently represented Baroda in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He then played a key role in India's series win against South Africa. As per Cricbuzz, Hardik is on course to play in two of the last three league matches of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda.
MCA unsure on Shreyas Iyer
The Mumbai Cricket Association is not sure about whether Shreyas Iyer will return to the Mumbai squad or not. He has been out of competitive action since a spleen injury in late October. The ODI squad for the New Zealand series is expected to be announced on January 4 or January 5. However, it is learnt that Iyer may show up for Mumbai ahead of the squad for ODI selection.
The ODIs will be played on January 11 (Vadodara), January 14 (Rajkot) and January 18 (Indore). The T20Is will commence on January 21 and will end up on January 31. The Men in Blue are slotted in Group A in the T20 World Cup. They enter the competition as defending champions.
