In a series of interesting events, India's expected new T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer has been invited by the senior selection committee to attend Saturday's selection in person at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. The meeting is set to mark Iyer's first involvement in a selection discussion as captain, with the star right-handed batter poised to succeed his state teammate Suryakumar Yadav in the leadership role.
Shreyas Iyer to become India's new T20I captain
According to a latest report by The Indian Express, Iyer's name has been approved by the top official in the board, and formally, he will be given the leadership duties of the T20I side.
“Iyer will be formally declared as captain on Saturday, and he will be leading the Indian T20I team in Ireland and England. The selection committee had sent their new captain’s name to the decision makers in the Indian board, and they have approved Iyer as the new skipper,” a source claimed.'
Big setback for Suryakumar Yadav
A few days earlier, the BCCI decided to remove on Suryakumar Yadav as India's T20I captain due to his poor batting form. The senior selection committe is also understood to have informed him that he is no longer in the race for selection in the 20-over format. The decision was conveyed to the Mumbai batter a few days ago.
Shreyas Iyer's impressive leadership skills
The selection committee was highly impressed with Shreyas Iyer's leadership skills in the last two IPL seasons while captaining Punjab Kings (PBKS). While there were internal discussions about giving the duties back to Shubman Gill, selectors felt his comeback would create a selection dilemma in the top order, possibly forcing the team to leave out one of Sanju Samson or Abhishek Sharma.
On the other hand, Iyer gives solidity in the middle order, and his consistent performances were among the key factors behind the decision to consider him for the big role.
Shreyas Iyer's stunning campaign for PBKS in IPL 2026
The PBKS skipper enjoyed an amazing individual campaign in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The 31-year-old batter amassed 498 runs in just 13 games at an average of 45.27 with a stunning strike rate of 168.81.
In 13 games, Shreyas Iyer smashed five half-centuries and one century, with unbeaten 101 being his top score which came against in a game against Lucknow Super Giants.