The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had a plan in place to move on from Suryakumar Yadav in T20I cricket. Shubman Gill was billed as the successor, with selectors bringing him back into the T20I fold last September as vice-captain, amid speculation that he would take over after the T20 World Cup in March. However, that plan was scrapped just a month before the ICC event after Gill failed to impress.
India went on to retain the T20 World Cup at home last month, with Suryakumar becoming the third captain to lead India to an ICC title. Yet, questions over his long-term future in the role have persisted. With returns from his bat also tapering off, doubts have grown over his place in the format ahead of the next T20 World Cup — even as the skipper has publicly spoken about targeting the 2028 ICC event and the Los Angeles Olympics.
Amid Suryakumar’s struggles, the spotlight has shifted to Shreyas Iyer. This isn’t the first time experts and fans have pushed his case as a white-ball captaincy option, especially after he led Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title and then guided Punjab Kings to a runners-up finish last season.
With Punjab making a strong start to IPL 2026, and Iyer contributing consistently with the bat, the calls to elevate him as India’s next T20I captain have only grown louder.
According to a report in The Times of India, a source identified Iyer as a leading contender to succeed Suryakumar, noting that he could also slot into the No. 4 role in the batting line-up. However, it added that selectors are in no immediate hurry to take that call, with the 2027 ODI World Cup currently the primary focus.
“Iyer last played a T20I in 2023. He has not been part of the current setup. It’s a big call to bring him back and hand him the captaincy straightaway,” a BCCI source told the newspaper. “The focus has shifted towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, which has given selectors breathing space to plan for a T20I leadership transition.”
Punjab Kings currently sit atop the IPL 2026 points table with four wins in five matches, while one game ended in a washout. Leading from the front, Iyer has scored 203 runs in five innings, including three consecutive fifties, at an impressive strike rate of 187.96.
