3 Each From CSK, MI; 1 From RCB: India's T20I Captains IPL Team Wise

MI, CSK have given the most T20I captains to India [Source: AFP]

It is finally official, the BCCI has appointed Shreyas Iyer as the new T20I captain of the Indian team. Iyer impressed the management with his leadership for his IPL side, the Punjab Kings, as he replaces Suryakumar Yadav, who has been omitted from the captaincy, as well as the squad.

SKY endured a tough few months in the format despite winning the T20 World Cup as India’s captain. He failed to deliver with the bat in the World Cup and crumbled under pressure in the IPL 2026 as he lost his place in the team.

As a result, Iyer became the first player from the Punjab Kings squad to ever become the Indian T20I captain. With Iyer’s appointment official, we take a look at the list of Indian T20I skippers, IPL team-wise.

List of India's T20I Captains IPL Team Wise

(IPL team wise captains)

• Players representing the Chennai Super Kings lead the charts as the IPL franchise has given three T20I captains to the Indian team, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
• Out of the three, MSD has led the Indian team in most T20Is (73), and under his guidance, the team won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
• Apart from CSK, MI has also given three Indian T20I captains, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav. Both Rohit and SKY are World Cup winners, having won the title in 2024, and 2026, respectively.
• One of the longest serving T20I captains was given by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, as Virat Kohli, the right-handed batter, led the nation in 50 matches.
• RR, GT, and LSG have given one captain each to the Indian side, and now, the latest entrant is the Punjab Kings, as Shreyas Iyer replaces the outgoing Suryakumar Yadav.

Tides changed with Shreyas Iyer's T20I captaincy appointment

As stated in the table, CSK and MI have given the most T20I captains to the nation (3 each), but in all honesty, all the captains given by the two teams did their part for the nation.

MS Dhoni won the World Cup in 2007 and was one of the most successful captains for India in this format. The same can be said about Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.

Also Read: 3 Massive Records Shreyas Iyer Achieved As IPL Captain

Both SKY and Rohit won a T20 World Cup each for India, and the MI pair had a high win percentage as captains.

However, the tides changed with the appointment of Shreyas Iyer. While teams like GT, RR, and LSG had given captains to the team, none of them lasted long. The BCCI clearly stated that Iyer would be given a longer rope as the right-handed Punjab Kings batter aims to break the CSK, MI duopoly, and hopes to win the T20 World Cup in 2028.

Is Shreyas Iyer a smart appointment by the BCCI?

One of the shrewdest cricketing minds in the IPL, Shreyas Iyer first came into prominence when he helped the Delhi Capitals reach the IPL finals in 2020. Even though the team lost against MI, but his captaincy was applauded.

He then helped the Kolkata Knight Riders win the IPL title in 2024, ending their 10-year drought for an IPL championship. Iyer’s next mission was to take the Punjab Kings to the IPL finale in 2025, ending their 11-year wait for a place in the finals.

Iyer certainly has the skill set to become one of the best Indian captains in T20Is, and with Suryakumar’s form fading, the team needed a new vision and Iyer certainly can provide that. However, he needs to be properly backed by the BCCI, because on paper, his appointment gets an A+ grade.

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav Launches 1st Reaction After Shreyas Iyer Becomes India's New Captain