Just three matches remain before IPL 2026 comes to an end, only one more for finalists Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Soon, the focus will shift back to international cricket, and the season’s batting madness will gradually fade until the next IPL arrives.
The BCCI has already announced India’s Test and ODI squads for the upcoming assignment, but the T20I side remains under discussion. And with a fresh T20 World Cup cycle beginning, one that will also include cricket’s return at the Olympics, selection calls carry even greater significance.
IPL 2026 has thrown up multiple possibilities for India’s next T20I squad, and one of the strongest emerged on Tuesday night after Rajat Patidar stormed into national selection conversations with one of the most outrageous knocks in IPL history.
His unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 powered RCB to a massive 254 for five and left experts and fans unanimously demanding his inclusion in India’s T20I setup.
“Rajat Patidar should be playing in the T20Is for India soon,” former India batter Aakash Chopra wrote on social media after the match.
Former India batter Ambati Rayudu went even further, saying Patidar is now among the few players around whom India should build their future T20I side.
“I think there are about two or three guys whose names I would write first and then build the squad around them, and he is definitely one of them,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo.
“You need him in the T20 squad. There is no two ways about it.”
When asked whether he sees Patidar potentially taking over Suryakumar Yadav’s role in the T20I setup, Rayudu replied bluntly: “Yes, of course.”
This has comfortably been Patidar’s best IPL season. For the first time in his career, he crossed the 400-run mark, taking his tally to 486 after the Qualifier 1 assault at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
More impressively, in a season once again dominated by top-order batters, Patidar remains only the second middle-order batter in the top 15 of the Orange Cap standings, alongside Heinrich Klaasen.
Those runs have come at a staggering strike rate of 196.76, while his 41 sixes are the third-most in IPL 2026 behind Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (53) and Abhishek Sharma (43).
Is Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I spot under threat?
Declining returns in the T20 format, particularly after a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, have intensified conversations around Suryakumar Yadav’s future in India’s T20I setup, including his captaincy.
Although Suryakumar recently insisted he is not considering retirement and still sees himself playing the 2028 T20 World Cup, his recent numbers have become difficult to ignore, especially with IPL 2026 throwing up several compelling alternatives.
Besides Patidar, Shreyas Iyer has also emerged as a strong candidate for both the No. 4 role and future T20I leadership after another impressive IPL season.
While speculation around India’s next T20 direction continues to gather pace, clarity is expected soon, with India set to travel to England for a five-match T20I series later this year.
