Shreyas Iyer and Rajiv Shukla - (Source: AFP)
On Sunday, Shreyas Iyer and Punjab Kings made their intention clear that they are going for the IPL title. Punjab Kings are the only unbeaten team in the tournament. The Preity Zinta-owned side have looked completely different since Shreyas Iyer’s signing.
The Indian star led them to the final in IPL 2025 and is also scoring plenty of runs. Despite his heroics in the shortest format of the game, Iyer has failed to earn selectors' attention in T20Is. Notably, Shreyas Iyer last played a T20I match for India in December 2023, nearly two and a half years ago.
Selectors Face Pressure To Include Shreyas Iyer In India Team
Recently, India lifted the T20 World Cup, and now they have a new cycle in front of them. It is the first opportunity for the selectors to make changes in the team and bring back Iyer, who is in solid form.
Shedding light on Iyer’s numbers, the PBKS captain scored 604 runs in 2025 and has already amassed 208 runs in five innings in IPL 2026. The right-handed batter’s performance has already put selectors under pressure, but they too face a problem of plenty.
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At present, India already have a pool of 15 players who were part of the T20 World Cup setup, and now another 15-20 players are on the brink of selection courtesy IPL heroics. Therefore, Shreyas Iyer too is fighting a battle to earn a place in the Indian team.
R Ashwin Calls For A Unique Solution To Bring Shreyas Iyer Back In The Indian Team
In the past few days, several top figures have vouched for Iyer’s return, and the latest to jump on the bandwagon is R Ashwin. The right-arm off-spinner, firstly, heaped massive praise on Iyer and warned BCCI that it would be India’s loss more than Shreyas Iyer’s to miss out on an India return.
"The audacity with which he is approaching 200-220 chases is exceptional. At this point, if he doesn't receive higher honours, it's no longer his loss. It's ours because we won't get to see him performing for the Indian team in national colours. He is very similar to Rajat [Patidar], but I just feel Shreyas is in a zone of his own. Rajat is exceptional and a great spin hitter, but I feel Shreyas is a couple of notches higher," Ashwin told ESPNcricinfo.
Further, Ashwin also made a unique suggestion, urging BCCI to take inspiration from Cricket Australia and plan a tri-series involving two Indian squads.
"At one point, when Australia were at their peak, we used to play a tri-series featuring Australia and Australia A. If we put together two squads like that, it would be a treat to watch," Ashwin noted.
Shreyas Iyer Reported To Be India’s New T20I Captain
Recently, there were reports from The Times of India that the BCCI is contemplating replacing Suryakumar Yadav with Shreyas Iyer as the next India captain.
Notably, SKY has been struggling for runs and the selectors too feel that the captain should be the one in form with the bat, which is not the case with Suryakumar Yadav.
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