Star batter Shreyas Iyer is reportedly set to make a comeback to India's T20I set up. According to a report from the Indian Express, the 29-year-old, who last played a T20I in December 2023, was not considered for the captaincy of the West Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy as he is likely to be named in India's Asia Cup 2025 squad. If Iyer ends up participating in Asia Cup 2025, he will be marking his return in India's T20I fold after more than 20 months.
Shreyas Iyer to play Asia Cup 2025?
Since Iyer won't be leading the West Zone's squad, Shardul Thakur has been given the onus to captain the side in Duleep Trophy. The selection committee chose the Mumbai all-rounder to captain a star-studded lineup that includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“The reason for not naming Iyer as skipper was that the selection committee felt that he might be picked for the Asia Cup team, which is scheduled to play from September 9 onwards," the Indian Express report read.
Notably, the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be played in a T20I format, is scheduled to take place in the UAE from September 9 to 28. Defending champions India will start their campaign against the United Arab Emirates on September 10, followed by a highly anticipated match against Pakistan on September 14. Their final group-stage game is against Oman on September 19. If India finishes in the top two of their group, they will advance to the Super Fours stage, where they will play three more matches. A strong performance in the Super Fours could see them qualify for the final on Sunday, September 28.
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Iyer, who recently led the Punjab Kings to the final of the 2025 Indian Premier League season, earlier expressed his availability for the Duleep Trophy. While he hasn't played a Test match for India since February 2024, the batter was a key member of the team that won the 50-overs Champions Trophy earlier this year. His last Test appearance was against England, a series where he was eventually replaced by Karun Nair for the subsequent tour, largely due to Nair's strong domestic performances.
Looking ahead, the 2025-26 Indian domestic cricket season is scheduled to kick off with the Duleep Trophy on August 28. The season will feature a full calendar of tournaments, concluding with the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy on April 3, 2026. The prestigious Ranji Trophy is set to begin on October 15. The tournament will be split into two phases: the first running until November 19, with the elite phase resuming on January 22, 2026, and concluding on February 1.
West Zone's squad for Duleep Trophy:
Shardul Thakur (Capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala.