Shreyas Iyer Poised To Be India's New T20 Captain As Suryakumar Yadav's Exit All But Certain

Jagran Correspondent | New Delhi: The suspense over India's next T20 captain is finally over as Shreyas Iyer is all set to lead the Indian team in the upcoming T20 series against Ireland (from June 26) and England (from July 1), while Tilak Varma is set to be appointed vice-captain. Suryakumar Yadav has lost the captaincy and will be informed of the decision on Friday.

The BCCI's Apex Council is scheduled to meet online on Friday, where the leadership issue will be discussed. However, a consensus has already been reached on removing Suryakumar and appointing Shreyas as the new T20 captain. The meeting is expected to merely ratify the decision, after which chief selector Ajit Agarkar will formally discuss it with the rest of the selection panel.

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Head coach Gautam Gambhir was reportedly in favour of handing the captaincy to Sanju Samson, but the BCCI and Agarkar did not agree with that view. Interestingly, there was no serious discussion over Rajat Patidar, who led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to back-to-back IPL titles. By making Tilak Varma vice-captain, the selectors have also signalled their long-term leadership plans.

Although Iyer was not part of India's T20 World Cup squad, his performances as both captain and batter in the IPL worked strongly in his favour. He had guided Punjab Kings to a runners-up finish last season, while the team also started strongly this year before a six-match losing streak derailed their campaign and kept them out of the playoffs.

While India recently won the T20 World Cup under Suryakumar Yadav's leadership, his individual form became a concern. In IPL 2026, he managed just 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.76. According to a senior BCCI official, the selectors took into account current form as well as future planning before deciding on a leadership change.

Iyer, meanwhile, impressed with the bat in IPL 2026, scoring 498 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 168.81, including one century and five half-centuries. The selectors believe those numbers significantly strengthened his case. He is also expected to slot straight into the No. 4 batting position in the T20 side.

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Though Gambhir backed Samson for the captaincy, some members of the selection committee were unconvinced. They felt Samson had not displayed the consistency required for a role as crucial as captain. Sources said that while Samson played useful knocks in the final three matches of the recent T20 World Cup, a section of selectors still does not view him as a long-term leadership candidate, believing that a few good innings alone should not determine such an important decision.