• Source:JND

India T20I Captain: In a major overhaul, the BCCI is all set to remove Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of India's T20 team after nearly 18 months of non-performance. Suryakumar Yadav, popularly known as SKY, failed to impress the selectors with continuous dismal performances throughout the IPL 2026. While an official confirmation from the board is still awaited, it is expected that the decision will be announced before India tours Ireland and England, which will begin on June 26 and July 1, respectively.

According to BCCI sources, as reported by PTI, if Suryakumar Yadav, under whom the men in blue won the T20 World Cup this year, is removed from the captaincy, he will also lose his place in the T20 team. Surya's recent form is under scrutiny as he was unable to perform in the recently concluded IPL 2026, where he managed to score only 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.

"Surya is set to be removed from captaincy. The selectors wanted to wait till the end of IPL to see whether he can get back to form. Since he looked completely out of form and not just out of runs, a tough call needs to be taken," a BCCI source aware of the developments said, as quoted by PTI.

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"The selectors would be dropping him from long list and had given an indication that Surya is now out of their scheme of things," he added.

Who Will Replace Suryakumar Yadav As India's T20 Captain?

With Surya's exit all but certain, all eyes will be on his replacement. While several media reports, citing BCCI insiders, have named Shreyas Iyer as the most preferred candidate, the choice of captaincy won't be a straightforward task. Apart from Iyer, two more names are doing the rounds -- Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson.

Shreyas, who led KKR to an IPL title win in 2024, looks like an obvious choice, but the board may also look beyond him, keeping the age factor in mind. For this reason, many in the selection committee are reportedly backing Tilak Varma (24 years old) as an ideal candidate, given his age, as the BCCI wants a long-term captain.

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Apart from these two, Sanju Samson has also made his case stronger with his performances in the T20 World Cup this year, especially in the knockout matches. Sanju's IPL 2026 performances have also garnered attention, where he amassed 477 runs at an average of 43, hitting two centuries and a fifty.

However, in another twist, a report by PTI stated that selectors are having reservations about Sanju Samson and aren't convinced that he could be consistent for a prolonged period of time.

Meanwhile, the say of head coach Gautam Gambhir may also play an important role in the selection of the new captain. It is understood that Gambhir has certain reservations about Shreyas, who was the captain of KKR in 2024, when the current India head coach was a mentor. At the time, Shreyas had publicly spoken about being underappreciated, something that didn't go unnoticed.

Gambhir is likely to suggest the name of Sanju Samson, but only time will tell how the board will receive his recommendation.

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