Indian cricket will enter a new era, as Shreyas Iyer is all set to lead the T20I side in the two-game series against Ireland. The first T20I will be played on Friday, June 26 at Belfast. It is going to be the first time when Shreyas Iyer will lead the Men in Blue at the senior level.
The national selectors rewarded Iyer for his brilliant show as a captain in the Indian Premier League. The star Mumbai batter managed to lead three different franchises in the IPL final. He took Delhi Capitals (DC) to the final in 2020, before winning the title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After joining Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2025 season, he led them to the final in the same edition.
New era in Indian cricket
Ahead of the series opener against Ireland, the 31-year-old clarified his vision of him leading the T20I side, where he wants to create a supportive environment for everyone.
"Going forward, I just want to build a culture where all of us are protecting, supporting each other through thick and thin, and more importantly, when we are out here playing the match, have fun as much as possible. It's a great opportunity and this is a family. Let's play like lions," said Iyer.
Shreyas Iyer's stunning IPL campaign with the bat
Shreyas Iyer enjoyed a stunning individual campaign with the bat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season while leading Punjab Kings (PBKS). Despite failing to lead his side to reach the playoffs, Iyer managed to amass 498 runs in just 14 games at an average of 55.33 at an aggressive strike rate of 168.81 with the help of one century and five half-centuries.
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The star right-handed batter managed to smash 39 boundaries and 30 sixes in the 2026 edition. He recorded his top score of unbeaten 101 off just 51 balls in their last league stage game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Head-to-Head record
India have played nine T20Is against Ireland, with the Men in Blue maintaining complete dominance in the rivalry. The Men in Blue have emerged victorious in eight of those clashes, while the remaining game was abandoned because of rain. Ireland are still aiming for their first T20I win against India.
India's squad for T20I series against Ireland:
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Suryansh Shedge (replaced injured Nitish Kumar Reddy)
Ireland's squad for T20I series against India
Lorcan Tucker (Captain), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Matthew Humphreys, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hollard, Liam McCarthy, Jai Mundra, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Reuben Wilson