Shreyas Iyer To Become New India T20I Captain?

Mumbai: Shreyas Iyer is all set to become the Indian cricket team skipper for the T20I series against Ireland and England with Tilak Varma replacing Axar Patel as vice-captain, according to a report by Dainik Jagran. The report claimed that Suryakumar Yadav will be removed from captaincy just months after winning the T20 World Cup 2026 and he will be informed of the decision on Thursday as the BCCI Apex Council will meet online to discuss the captaincy situation. The report went on to claim that the decision regarding Shreyas becoming the captain has already been taken and it will be ratified at the meeting.

According to the report, head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted Sanju Samson to replace Suryakumar as the T20I captain but BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar was not convinced. Some members of the selection committee were also reportedly not in agreement with Gambhir as they believed that Samson has not been consistent enough.

Sources claimed that although Samson played a big role in clinching the T20 World Cup for India, several selectors did not consider him to be a long-term captaincy option. They also believed that it was too early to trust him with the responsibility.

Shreyas, who was not a part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad, led Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final where they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In IPL 2026, the team were off to a sensational start but failed to reach the Playoffs after losing six consecutive matches.

Iyer was a top performer for his side with the bat as he scored 498 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 168.81. He scored a century and five half-centuries and will reportedly replace Suryakumar in the No. 4 position.

The report also claimed that there were no discussions over a possible call-up for Rajat Patidar even after impressing with the bat and leading RCB to two consecutive IPL titles.