Star Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh joined spinner Ravi Bishnoi in singing a song from the Bollywood movie Hera Pheri, ‘Dene Wala Jab Bhi Deta’, after the fifth and final T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand. The match was played on Saturday, January 31, at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

India chose to bat first and scored a huge 271/5 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan was the top scorer with 103 runs off 43 balls. In reply, New Zealand were bowled out for 225 in 19.4 overs and lost the match by 46 runs. Arshdeep was the star with the ball and picked up 5 wickets for 51 runs in his four overs.

After the match, Arshdeep and Bishnoi shared a joint Instagram reel. In the video, both players were seen singing the popular song together.

Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arshdeep Singh (@_arshdeep.singh__)

India clinch T20I series 4-1

India won the final match of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand and sealed the series by a 4-1 margin.

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“Great learning for me” – Arshdeep Singh after 5th T20I

In the fifth T20I, Arshdeep Singh had a difficult start. He gave away 40 runs in his first two overs and took one wicket. However, he made a strong comeback in his last two overs. He conceded only 11 runs and picked up four wickets.

This was the first five-wicket haul of the left-arm pacer in T20I cricket.

Speaking after the match, Arshdeep said (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):

“Great learning for me to stay in the game. That was the message from the coaching staff. It is just for the camera that I look calm. Lately, I have been going for runs. I am trying to stay in the game with Morne’s help. I enjoyed some of the shots Finn played, but I could have planned better.”

He added:

“They were always going to attack. After the power play, SKY spoke about body language and giving our best effort. The plan was to stop them under 180. I am happy with individual performances, but the perfect team game has not come yet. I hope that comes in the World Cup.”

In 76 T20Is, Arshdeep Singh has taken 118 wickets at an average of 19.05. His strike rate is 13.3, and his economy rate is 8.53.

We are in the business end of the five-match India vs New Zealand T20I series as Thiruvananthapuram is hosting the last fixture of the series on Saturday night (January 31). It is the last official game for both teams before the beginning of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which is just seven days away. 

Leading the series by 3-1, the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to bat first, as the hosts want to challenge themselves in the dew factor. Both India and New Zealand made several changes for the match, as both teams want to check the team depth in the last moment before the T20 World Cup.

Watch: Crowd’s reaction goes viral when Suryakaumar Yadav confirms Sanju Samson is playing IND vs NZ 5th T20I

IND vs NZ 5th T20I: Why are Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana and Ravi Bishnoi not playing?

For this fixture, Indian pacer Harshit Rana, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and the leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi have been benched. The all-rounder Axar Patel and the left-handed batter Ishan Kishan have returned from their injuries, the leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, the no.1-ranked T20I bowler, has returned to the playing XI to get more game time.  

No fresh injury news for India

There is no fresh injury news in the Indian camp. So, the Indian cricket fans don't need to fear the changes. Rather than the changes that happened to provide some more game time, especially for two players (Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan) who have returned after recovering from injuries, which is good news for the Indian cricket team. 

India are set to face New Zealand in the final match of the five-match T20I series in Thiruvananthapuram, and team management are considering three key changes to their playing XI ahead of the decider. With the series already won, this fixture presents an opportunity to adjust combinations and manage player workloads before the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

One potential change is the return of all-rounder Axar Patel, who missed earlier games due to a minor injury and could rejoin the side to strengthen both batting depth and spin options. India may also look to rest some frontline players to balance fitness concerns, particularly with a hectic international calendar approaching. This tactical rotation could include resting senior quicks or all-rounders to give emerging talents a chance.

Another area of focus is the batting order, where the return of dynamic batters could add firepower in the middle overs. The final T20I is likely to feature a mix of experienced campaigners and promising youngsters as India fine-tune their setup and assess bench strength. These changes reflect a strategic approach to maintain momentum and experiment with combinations ahead of major tournaments.

See Also: Watch: Pakistan reaches out to USA to complain on BCCI power in cricket ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

#1 Ishan Kishan for Jasprit Bumrah

Initial reports had indicated that Jasprit Bumrah would feature in the first, third and fifth T20Is against New Zealand, but the pacer eventually played the fourth match instead. With that in mind, India could consider resting Bumrah for Saturday’s game to manage his workload. The team may also look to tweak their combination if the fast bowler is given a break.

Should Bumrah be rested, India are expected to strengthen their batting depth by adding an extra batter. In the previous match, Harshit Rana batted at No. 7, but including Ishan Kishan would provide more stability and firepower. The team management has hinted at Kishan’s inclusion, confirming that he has recovered from the niggle that ruled him out of the fourth T20I.

#2 Varun Chakaravarthy for Ravi Bishnoi

Varun Chakaravarthy has sat out the last two T20Is and is likely to make his return in the series finale. To accommodate him, Ravi Bishnoi appears the most likely player to be rested, especially since he is not part of India’s T20 World Cup squad. This change would allow the team to focus on players central to their plans for upcoming major tournaments.

Bishnoi had been included as a backup option in case Washington Sundar was unavailable, but Sundar is expected to regain full fitness ahead of the ICC event. As a result, prioritising Bishnoi’s game time is less important at this stage. Instead, the team management may look to ensure Varun Chakaravarthy regains rhythm and sharpness across different bowling phases before the tournament.

#3 Axar Patel for Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya neither bowled nor made a significant impact with the bat in the previous match, which strengthens the case for resting him in the fifth T20I against New Zealand. Having featured in all four games so far, the all-rounder has been consistently involved, even if he hasn’t gone all out in the field. With his fitness needing careful management, a break could be beneficial ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Axar Patel appears to have fully recovered from the finger injury he picked up in the series opener and is well placed to step in. His inclusion would allow India to manage Hardik’s workload while maintaining balance in both batting and bowling departments.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has added the captain of the defending champions, Punjab Kings from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Shreyas Iyer, along with their one-time ICC number one T20I spinner, Ravi Bishnoi, in the T20I squad for the upcoming five encounters at home against New Zealand, beginning on January 21 in Nagpur. 

Bishnoi has been drafted into the Indiansquad as a replacement for Washington Sundar, who has been ruled out of the series with a side strain that he picked up during the opening ODI against the Black Caps in Vadodara. Meanwhile, Ayer replaces injured Tilak Varma, who has been out of the series for the first three games.

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Sundar underwent scans after reporting an accurate onset of discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI. This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert, as he has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru for further management of the injury. 

Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi added to India's T20I squad 

Iyer, whose last T20I for the national side came nearly three years ago, has been at the top in the shortest format as he notched up 600 and four runs in IPL 2005 in 17 innings at an average of over fifty and a strike rate of more than 175, thanks to his six half-centuries at the best code of unbeaten 97 runs.

Bishnoi, who has picked up 61 wickets in 42 T20I matches for India at an economy rate of 7.35, featured in a 20-over game previously at the start of last year and the Asia Cup towards the end of the year. For the Lucknow Super Giants in the previous season of the IPL, he picked up nine wickets but went for an economy rate of nearly 11.

The opening T20I of the series against the Blackcaps will be played at Nagpur before the national sides make their way to Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvattanampudam.   

Rajasthan Royals (RR) made a big move at the IPL 2026 mini-auction by signing Indian leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. RR bought Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.2 crore, even though his base price was ₹2 crore. The franchise stayed out of the Cameron Green bidding war and instead used a large part of their budget to secure Bishnoi, who could become a key bowler for the team.

RR entered the mini-auction with a purse of ₹16.05 crore and spent almost half of it on Bishnoi alone. Along with him, the Royals added a few low-cost Indian players to increase squad depth. Former Mumbai Indians player Vignesh Puthur and young talent Yash Raj Punja were both signed for ₹30 lakh each.

After joining Rajasthan Royals, Ravi Bishnoi shared his feelings and said, “Playing for Rajasthan Royals will feel like playing at home. I started my cricket journey as a net bowler at RR, and now representing a team that carries the name of my state means a lot to me.” RR’s lead owner, Manoj Badale, also praised Bishnoi, calling his return a special moment for the franchise and its fans.

See Also: IPL Auction 2026: Full squad and new bought players for Chennai Super Kings

Rajasthan Royals Bought Players at IPL 2026 Auction

Ravi Bishnoi (₹7.2 crore), Sushant Mishra (₹90 lakh), Vignesh Puthur (₹30 lakh), Yash Raj Punja (₹30 lakh), Ravi Singh (₹95 lakh), Aman Rao Perala (₹30 lakh), Adam Milne (₹2.4 crore), Kuldeep Sen (₹75 lakh), Brijesh Sharma (₹30 lakh).

Rajasthan Royals Full Squad for IPL 2026

Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira (traded), Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-Dre Pretorious, Nandre Burger, Ravindra Jadeja (traded), Riyan Parag, Sam Curran (traded), Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Charak, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao Perala, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Brijesh Sharma.

Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi initiated a bidding war in the IPL 2026 auction. Multiple Indian Premier League franchises were ready to secure the prolific bowler, who is well established for his wicket-taking abilities. Ultimately, Bishnoi will join Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2026 season for an amount of INR 7.20 crore.

The 25-year-old entered the auction with a base price of INR 2 crore. The minimum price slab was on the higher side compared to other spinners in the auction. As Ravi Bishnoi is a proven talent in the format, franchises did not hesitate to uphold the paddle.

It was Rajasthan Royals who won the fierce bidding war and confirmed the spinner in their squad for the upcoming season. Last season, in IPL 2025, he was part of the Lucknow Super Giants franchise. 

Read More: Watch: Cameron Green's first video message for KKR fans after receiving Rs 25.20 in IPL 2026 auction

Watch the special video shared by Rajasthan Royals

He manifested this 😂💗 pic.twitter.com/M1es1B80eU

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) December 16, 2025

The franchise had retained him before the mega auction but released him after just one year. IPL 2025 was not a memorable season for him, as he conceded 401 runs in 11 matches at an economy rate of 10.84 and took only 9 wickets. After these bowling stats, Lucknow Super Giants decided to let him go. Bishnoi made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings in the 2020 season. 

After taking 24 wickets in two seasons, he moved to Lucknow Super Giants in 2022. The bowler was with the same franchise for four seasons, after which he moved to the franchise based in the 'Pink City' of India. For India, he has played 42 T20 International matches so far in his career, taking 61 wickets. Bishnoi's best performance is 4 wickets for 13 runs, with an economy rate of 19.37. But currently, he is out of the national camp.

A cute moment between Team India stars Hardik Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi. In a low-scoring match between Baroda and Gujarat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025) on December 4 at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad, Pandya hugged Bishnoi after getting dismissed.

It was a very high-scoring match between Baroda and Gujarat. Gujarat went to bat first and scored only 73 runs against all of their 10 wickets. Aarya Desai with 22 runs was their highest scorer of the match. For Baroda, Raj Limbani claimed 3 wickets in his 2.1-over spell with a maiden over as well.

Without any such difficulties, Baroda achieved the target total. Against 2 wickets, Baroda got their win in only 6.4 overs. Shashwat Rawat, one of their openers, remained unbeaten for 30 off 19 with six boundaries, and Vishnu Solanki, the other part of the opening pair, scored 27 off 15 with 4 boundaries and one over-boundary. The 55-run opening stand was enough to take the game away from Gujarat.

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Hardik Pandya hugged Ravi Bishnoi after getting dismissed

A Cute moment between Hardik pandya and Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi got the wicket of hardik 10(6) pandya in smat today

Gujrat was allout for 73 and baroda chased it with 8 wickets in hand

Ravi took both wickets after taking 3/13 in last game pic.twitter.com/FR9s8EV3h8

— Sawai96 (@Aspirant_9457) December 4, 2025

Despite the poor batting performance of Gujarat, Ravi Bishnoi performed well with the ball. In his 1.4-over spell, the spinner dismissed Solanki and Hardik Pandya (10). Pandya went for the big shot but ended in a caught out. When he arrived at the non-striker's end, he hugged Bishnoi in a friendly gesture.

Teams:

Gujarat (Playing XI): Aarya Desai, Urvil Patel (w/c), Saurav Chauhan, Ripal Patel, Hemang Patel, Vishal Jayswal, Ravi Bishnoi, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Umang Kumar, Japagnya Bhatt, Dhrushant Soni

Baroda (Playing XI): Vishnu Solanki, Shashwat Rawat, Shivalik Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Atit Sheth, Krunal Pandya (c), Bhanu Pania, Mahesh Pithiya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Raj Limbani

The four talented Indian players, including Abhishek Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Rinku Singh, and Arshdeep Singh, were present in an Instagram video where the left-handed opening batter of the Blue Brigade- Arshdeep- leaked the upcoming franchise of Bishnoi ahead of the mini auction of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

“Bishnoi pajii- Orange, Orange!!! I have noticed one thing, Bishy, that you are saying this to everyone that you want to be part of any franchise in the IPL.”- Abhishek expressed in that live video before India's Arshdeep added, “Rinku bhai, you can also say the mixture of black and gold.”

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That was when Bishnoi highlighted, “I am an unemployed person now. I can say anything at the moment. I have sent my resume to every single place.” It shows that the leg-spinner in the Indian team is keen to be part of any IPL franchise if the opportunity arises, meaning several franchises will be keeping an eye on the talented Indian spinner.

Watch: Ravi Bishnoi to move to Sunrisers Hyderabad? Abhishek Sharma leaks

Bishnoi has featured in 41 T20I innings and collected 61 wickets at an average under 20, with a strike rate of around 16, thanks to a couple of four-wicket hauls, including a best of 4/13 in an innings. His last T20I clash came at the start of the year against England at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, and he missed the Asia Cup 2025 along with the away Australia series.

ABHISHEK HINTING SOMETHING TO RAVI BISHNOI 👀🧡 pic.twitter.com/dl4mjDhiR1

— SRHIntensity (@SRH_UMESH) November 29, 2025

Overall, in the shortest format, Bishnoi has bagged 188 wickets in 160 innings at an average of under 24 and a strike rate of 19 with the help of three four-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 4/13 in an innings. In terms of his IPL, the leg spinner has got 72 wickets in 76 innings at an economy rate of just over eight.

In the previous season of the league for the Lucknow Super Giants, Bishnoi picked up nine wickets in 11 innings at an average of 44 and an economy rate of under 11, with the best bowling figure of 2/18 in an inning.

The three Indian star players- one-time notable leg spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, the left-arm fast bowler, Arshdeep Singh, and another leg-spinner, Ravi Bishnoi- interacted with each other on the Instagram live on social media. They shared several hilarious moments that went viral among the fans and became a vital talking point. 

Bishnoi informed Chahal that the third season of the ‘Family Man’ web series was released last week. To this statement, Chahal claimed that even though he has just started to watch that and is on the third episode of the first season, the makers had already released the third season. And that was the time when Arshdeep Singh blasted a hilarious comment on Chahal.

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Singh claimed that the first season of the ‘Family Man’ in Chahal’s career was the most costly. It was perhaps indicated towards the divorce incident between Chahal and his wife, Dhanashree Verma, where the former agreed to pay an estrangement of INR 4.75 crore in alimony, with 2.37 crore already paid. The Bombay High Court expedited the divorce process for the Indian spinner, who was busy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at that time.

Watch: Arshdeep Singh teases Yuzvendra Chahal with ‘family man’ statement on Instagram live

Chahal and Verma, who tied the knot in 2020, have been living separately for almost a year regarding their divorce. The Bombay High Court allowed the pleas by the leg spinner and his wife seeking to waive the cooling-off period of six months stipulated under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act for a divorce.

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A post shared by Abhi Baghel (@cricket_bangers)

Chahal, who has earned 121 wickets in 69 innings of the 50-over format at an average of 27.13 and a strike rate of 30.90 with an economy rate of 5.26, and picked up 96 wickets in 79 innings of the T20Is at an average of 25 and an economy rate of 8.19, has been out of the national side for more than two years.

The 35-year-old recently featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26 for the Hayana side against Puducherry, where he picked up 2/46 with their team falling short of the target by five runs.