India new T20 captain Highlights: Shreyas Iyer front-runner to become India T20 captain, confirmation likely Saturday

That is all from our side on the live blog updates on India’s new T20 captain. Shreyas Iyer is all but set to become the new T20 captain for India, while there is still suspense on who will be the vice-captain. Hopefully, we would have a confirmation by Saturday.

India’s Predicted Playing XI for one-off test against Afghanistan: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Accordingly to The Hindu, Hardik Pandya, who had been replaced by Suryakumar as captain at the beginning of the previous T20 World Cup cycle and Axar Patel, the vice-captain of the recent World Cup campaign, have not featured prominently in discussions so far.

While Rajat Patidar is also a strong candidate to lead India in T20Is after guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to back-to-back IPL titles, Shreyas Iyer’s experience when it comes to handling the rigours of international cricket as well as in terms of leadership make him the ideal candidate to succeed ‘SKY’.

Shreyas also will be a direct replacement for Surya in India’s middle-order and thus keep their top-three unaffected, which might not have been the case had Shubman Gill been considered for captaincy across formats.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s absence from India’s squads for the upcoming one-off Test and ODI series against Afghanistan had caused quite the uproar, considering his red-hot form for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

The 15-year-old, who will be representing India A in an upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka, is reportedly set to receive his maiden senior all-up this weekend when chief selector Ajit Agarkar unveils India’s squads for the white-ball tour of the UK – which comprises seven T20Is – as well as the Asian Games later this year.

Virat Kohli was leading India across formats at the start of the decade, before Rohit Sharma took over in late 2021. Rohit, however, decided to step away from the format along with Kohli after India’s semi-final exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya stepped in to fill the leadership void and remained in charge until late 2023. Ro-Ko then made their comeback to the 20-over format for India against Afghanistan in January 2024 with Rohit taking the captain’s armband back from Pandya, and led the Men in Blue to victory at the T20 World Cup later that year.

Rohit retired from the format along with Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, and the BCCI appointed Suryakumar Yadav his successor in July 2024. Surya’s reign would turn out to be just as successful and would end with a T20 World Cup title.

Iyer occupies a special place in IPL history as someone to lead three different franchises into the final – lifting the trophy with KKR in 2024 and finishing runners-up with Delhi Capitals in 2020 and Punjab Kings in 2025.

He has also had success in domestic cricket, having led Mumbai to victory in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Here’s Surya’s numbers as India’s T20I captain, which are likely to remain his final numbers in the role with Shreyas Iyer set to replace him soon:

Matches: 52

Won: 40

Lost: 8

Tied: 2 (2 Super Over wins)

No Result: 2

Despite making history as the first captain to win a Men’s T20 World Cup on home soil, Suryakumar Yadav will not even be considered for selection going forward due to his poor run with the bat in recent months. ‘SKY’ did have a brief resurgence during the T20I series against New Zealand and in the T20 World Cup opener against USA, where he scored an unbeaten 84 in the latter.

But his performance with the bat has been underwhelming since then, whether in the remainder of the World Cup or for Mumbai Indians in the IPL – scoring just 270 runs across the season.

The Asian Games are all set to take place this year in Japan. Team India won gold in men’s and women’s cricket in the tournament’s previous edition and would be keen to successfully defend it.

According to reports, Tilak Varma is expected to lead the Indian team’s charge in men’s cricket at the quadrennial sporting event.

Ishan Kishan represented SRH, while Tilak Varma was part of MI in the IPL 2026 season.

Kishan struck 602 runs in 15 matches at an average of 40.13 and a strike rate of 182.42. He smashed 60 boundaries, 32 sixes and six half-centuries and played a key role in SRH’s brief playoff run.

Tilak Varma, on the other hand, did not have a very productive season. In 14 matches, the batter struck 359 runs and showcased flashes of brilliance after hitting an unbeaten 101. He averaged 29.92 and maintained a 145.93 strike rate.

With Shreyas Iyer set to be named as India’s T20 captain, the national selection panel may consider a fresh face in the vice-captaincy role.

Star like Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson emerge as ideal vice-captain picks for the Men In Blue’s T20 unit in the long run.

Axar Patel was India’s vice-captain in the T20 World Cup.

With Team India’s T20 unit set to undergo a leadership overhaul with Shreyas Iyer’s imminent appointment as captain, it won’t be surprising if the national selection panel includes some fresh faces, just the way they did in Test and ODIs.

Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav received maiden India call-ups for the upcoming Afghanistan series. The young players might be rewarded with T20 call-ups as well.

Cricbuzz understands that Rohit Sharma is yet to report to the BCCI COE, but sources close to him in the MCA said that the Indian opener would be fit in time for the ODI series. Rohit suffered a hamstring injury during IPL 2026.

Hardik Pandya, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation, is also closing in to regaining full fitness for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.

While Shreyas Iyer is set to receive India’s T20 captaincy reins, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant recently lost his Test vice-captaincy, with KL Rahul named as the new VC for the one-off Afghanistan Test.

Head Coach Gautam Gambhir broke his silence over Pant’s removal, saying, “We don’t want Rishabh Pant to change, but international cricket demands players respect match situations.”

Virat Kohli is reportedly out of the upcoming Afghanistan ODI series, with doubts also being raised over his availability for the England T20 leg. As per TOI, the star Indian batter won’t require surgery for the injury he picked up during IPL 2026. The injury will need at least six weeks to heal.

Following the IPL 2026 season, Shreyas Iyer has continued to play cricket in season four of the T20 Mumbai League, representing the SoBo Mumbai Falcons. On June 4, SMF sealed a three-wicket win over the MSC Maratha Royals, with Iyer scoring 30 off 24 deliveries at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has singled out two distinct choices as Suryakumar Yadav’s successor. He singled out Jasprit Bumrah as one pick and Shubman Gill as another.

With Suryakumar’s dipping form being a major concern, the national selection panel is expected to make a change in the T20 leadership hierarchy, marking the end of the SKY era. India won the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup under the middle-order batter’s leadership.

The selectors’ prime focus in T20 cricket would be on developing a dominant squad for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics and the next T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Both events take place in 2028.

The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya would feature the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams in action.

In the previous edition, India won 2 gold medals in cricket, with the men’s and women’s teams finishing first.

This year, the Asian Games will take place from Sat, 19 Sept, 2026 – Sun, 4 Oct, 2026

According to PTI, Shreyas Iyer will formally replace Suryakumar Yadav as India’s new T20 captain. The national selection panel will meet on Saturday to finalise squads for the white-ball tour of the UK and the Asian Games in Japan.

The UK tour includes the two-match T20 series against Ireland in Belfast, leading to the five-match T20I and three-match ODI series across England, beginning July 1.

Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy journey began in the IPL when he succeeded Gautam Gambhir as Delhi Capitals’ skipper and led them for three seasons, securing 21 wins in 41 matches. He led DC to its only final appearance in 2020.

Iyer went on to join the Kolkata Knight Riders and won the title as their captain in 2024, defeating SRH in a one-sided final.

The Indian batter eventually joined PBKS after being released by KKR. Punjab shelled out INR 26.75 crore to pick him up and led them to the final in 2025. They finished fifth in the 2026 season.

Shreyas Iyer may begin his T20 captaincy tenure when Team India faces off against Ireland in a two-match T20I series. The challenge gets tougher as Iyer would lead the Men in Blue against England and Zimbabwe during away tours, West Indies at home and then against the Blackcaps in New Zealand.

It has been reported by The Telegraph that Gambhir has already informed BCCI selectors that he has “no qualms” in working with Shreyas Iyer as India’s T20 captain and Tilak Varma as his deputy.

While Shreyas Iyer will be replacing Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20 captain, Tilak Varma will be named the vice-captain, according to The Telegraph.

With Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan already there and a possibility of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi joining the squad, it’s tough to fit Shubman Gill into the squad. Hence, at this moment, his chances of becoming India’s next T20 captain are very bleak.

“Shreyas Iyer is set to replace Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set for his maiden call-up, as the national selectors look ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and the next T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand the same year,” a report in ESPN said.

No. Pandya is not in the race due to fitness issues and poor IPL. Under Pandya’s guidance, the Mumbai Indians finished ninth in the 2026 IPL points table. Hence, even though he has been the captain of India in the past, Hardik is not in the running this time.

BCCI has reportedly decided to move on from SKY due to his poor form. Shreyas Iyer is the No 1 pick, as per reports. Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma are also in the race.

The NDTV says that Shreyas Iyer will be part of BCCI’s selection meeting on Saturday, as his becoming the next T20 captain is certain. Iyer will replace Suryakumar Yadav.