Kumar Kushagra is a wicketkeeper-batter from Bokaro, Jharkhand. On 23 October 2026 he was added to India's squad as cover for Ishan Kishan, who has a low-grade right adductor strain and will miss the 2nd T20I against New Zealand. Kushagra hasn't played for India in any format yet, and he isn't guaranteed a place on Saturday because Sanju Samson is still the first-choice keeper.
The call-up also landed on his birthday. He was born on 23 October 2004, so he turns 22 today. Below you'll find who he is, what he has done in domestic cricket and the IPL, and how likely a debut in Christchurch really is.
Why Kumar Kushagra was called up for the 2nd T20I
It started in the IND vs NZ 1st T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on 22 October. New Zealand made 225/4, with Glenn Phillips unbeaten on 82. India got to 230/6 and won by four wickets with two balls left. Sanju Samson hit 67 off 33, and he and Abhishek Sharma put on 93. Shreyas Iyer added 42, and Naman Dhir finished it with 42* off just 15 balls. India.com called it India's highest successful chase in T20Is.
Ishan Kishan got hurt during that game. The BCCI said he has a low-grade right adductor strain, ruled him out of the 2nd T20I, and said its medical team is keeping an eye on him. It hasn't said whether he'll miss more matches.
On 23 October the Men's Selection Committee named Kushagra as cover. Without him, Samson would have been the only specialist keeper in the squad. You can see the full squads and where to watch in our IND vs NZ T20 live streaming and squads guide.
Kumar Kushagra at a glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kumar Kushagra |
| Born | 23 October 2004, Bokaro, Jharkhand (22 today) |
| Role | Wicketkeeper, right-handed batter |
| Domestic team | Jharkhand |
| IPL team | Gujarat Titans (bought for ₹65 lakh in 2025, retained for 2026) |
| Previous IPL team | Delhi Capitals (2024, ₹7.2 crore) |
| Signature record | 266 vs Nagaland (2022), youngest to make a first-class 250 |
| India caps | None yet |
From Bokaro to the U-19 World Cup
Kushagra grew up in Bokaro. His father, Shashikant, is a GST district commissioner. He took up wicketkeeping at 10 because of MS Dhoni, the most famous cricketer Jharkhand has produced, and you can still see Dhoni's influence in how he plays.
He moved up quickly. At 15 he was the youngest player in India's squad for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. Not long after, he was playing senior cricket for Jharkhand.
Kumar Kushagra's domestic record
The 266 that made his name
In March 2022, Kushagra scored 266 against Nagaland in a Ranji Trophy pre-quarterfinal. He was 17 years and 141 days old, which made him the youngest batter to score 250 in first-class cricket. That innings is still the headline of his career, and it's the first thing people mention when he gets picked for anything.
Deodhar Trophy 2023
He showed he could do more than bat long in red-ball cricket at the 2023 Deodhar Trophy. Batting at No. 7, he made 227 runs at 56.75. Scoring like that in the lower middle order is what selectors look for in a white-ball keeper.
The 2025–26 season: Jharkhand's first SMAT title and more
His best season so far is the reason he's now on the national selectors' list:
- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: 422 runs in 10 games, including 81 off 38 in the final, as Jharkhand won the T20 title for the first time.
- Ranji Trophy: 234 against Baroda.
- Duleep Trophy final: 101 and 46.
- India A vs Australia A, Puducherry: 113 and 46*, which won him Player of the Match.
Career numbers
Different sources give different totals. The table uses the most recent figures, from Cricket Addictor and India.com (October 2026). T20 numbers come from Wikipedia, which was last updated in January 2026 and is behind on everything else.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-class | 38 | 2,507 | Average 42+, high score 266 |
| List A | 40 | 1,387 | 2 hundreds, 10 fifties |
| T20 (to Jan 2026) | – | 676 | Average 28.16, high score 86* |
The T20 average is the lowest of the three, and it was recorded before his SMAT-winning season. His short-format numbers have improved a lot since then.
Kumar Kushagra's IPL history: from ₹7.2 crore to Gujarat Titans
Kushagra's IPL story is better known than his domestic one, mostly because of the price. At the 2024 auction, Delhi Capitals paid ₹7.2 crore for him, 36 times his base price, which was one of the big surprises of that auction. It didn't work out. He scored 3 runs in 4 games and was released.
Gujarat Titans bought him for ₹65 lakh in 2025 and kept him for 2026. He played his first game for GT against Rajasthan Royals on 4 April 2026. His IPL record is still thin, but GT holding on to him shows the franchise rates him as a long-term keeper.
Naman Dhir, the hero of the first T20I, also rose through domestic cricket and the IPL. You can read about him in our Naman Dhir profile.
Timeline: from ODI call-up to T20I cover
| Date (2026) | What happened |
|---|---|
| 4 April | IPL debut for Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals |
| 16 October | First India call-up, for the 4th and 5th ODIs vs NZ, as backup to Kishan while KL Rahul is out. Picked ahead of Samson and Prabhsimran Singh |
| Mid-October | Replaces Rishabh Pant (fitness issue) in the India A squad for the unofficial Tests vs NZ A |
| 22 October | India win the 1st T20I in Christchurch, but Kishan strains his adductor |
| 23 October | Named cover for the 2nd T20I on his 22nd birthday |
| 24 October | 2nd T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch |
| 13 and 15 November | 4th and 5th ODIs at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, the matches he was first picked for |
Why Kushagra and not Pant, Jurel or Prabhsimran?
The main reason is that he was already there. Kushagra was in New Zealand with India A, whose unofficial Test series against NZ A starts on 24 October in Christchurch, the same city as the 2nd T20I. India needed a backup keeper within a day, and he could just switch squads.
Most analysts don't think this means he has jumped ahead of Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel or Prabhsimran Singh as a T20I keeper. Sending any of them would have meant a long flight with no time to settle.
He has still earned some credit. His ODI selection on 16 October, ahead of Samson and Prabhsimran, was a choice based on form after his 2025–26 season, not on where he happened to be. If you want to know more about the people making these calls, see our piece on the selection committee.
Will Kumar Kushagra play the 2nd T20I vs New Zealand?
Probably not. Samson keeps wicket, and he made 67 off 33 in the first game, so his place is safe. Kishan's spot in the XI was as a batter, and reports say 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the likelier replacement.
Kushagra would probably only play in one of these cases:
- Samson gets a late niggle or is rested, and India need a keeper.
- The team management decides to try a keeper who can bat at No. 6 or 7, a role Kushagra has done well in domestic cricket.
- Kishan's injury turns out to be longer, and Kushagra stays on for the T20Is in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton.
Here is India's updated squad for the 2nd T20I: Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Kumar Kushagra (wk, cover). Ishan Kishan is unavailable.
We'll update this section after the 2nd T20I with the confirmed XI.
What's next: the rest of India's New Zealand tour
| Format | Dates and venues |
|---|---|
| T20Is | 22 and 24 Oct Christchurch; 27 Oct Wellington; 30 Oct Auckland; 1 Nov Hamilton |
| ODIs | 4 Nov Auckland; 7 Nov Wellington; 10 Nov Hamilton; 13 and 15 Nov Mount Maunganui |
| Tests | From 19 Nov Wellington; from 27 Nov Christchurch |
This schedule comes from WION and Mykhel. One outlet lists three ODIs instead of five, but Kushagra's call-up for the "4th and 5th ODIs" only makes sense if there are five. If you're watching from India, our SonyLIV plans and prices guide explains what it costs to stream the tour.
कुमार कुशाग्र कौन हैं? (हिंदी में संक्षेप)
कुमार कुशाग्र झारखंड के बोकारो के रहने वाले विकेटकीपर-बल्लेबाज़ हैं। उनका जन्म 23 अक्टूबर 2004 को हुआ था, यानी आज उनका 22वां जन्मदिन है। ईशान किशन को दाहिने एडक्टर में हल्का खिंचाव (low-grade strain) है, इसलिए वे न्यूज़ीलैंड के खिलाफ दूसरे T20I से बाहर हैं, और BCCI ने कुशाग्र को उनकी जगह कवर के रूप में टीम में जोड़ा है। 2022 में नागालैंड के खिलाफ रणजी ट्रॉफी में 266 रन बनाकर वे फर्स्ट-क्लास क्रिकेट में 250 रन बनाने वाले सबसे कम उम्र के बल्लेबाज़ बने थे। IPL में दिल्ली कैपिटल्स ने उन्हें 2024 में ₹7.2 करोड़ में खरीदा था। अब वे गुजरात टाइटंस के खिलाड़ी हैं। संजू सैमसन मुख्य विकेटकीपर हैं, इसलिए दूसरे T20I में कुशाग्र के डेब्यू की संभावना कम है।
The bottom line
Kushagra is in the T20I squad mostly because he was nearby when India needed a keeper. He has also had a very good year, and he'll be with the ODI side anyway for the last two matches in Mount Maunganui. A debut this Saturday is unlikely, but he's closer to an India cap than he has ever been. For more cricket explainers and trending stories, visit Kyuntrend.