Gautam Gambhir Shreyas Iyer Suryakumar Yadav for India. Image Credits: AFP
According to emerging reports, Shreyas Iyer is the frontrunner to become India's new captain in T20Is. It's worth mentioning that Suryakumar Yadav is the current Indian T20I captain. He recently led the Indian team to a glorious T20 World Cup win on home soil.
However, since Suryakumar Yadav is at the fag end of his career and has been struggling with poor form, the BCCI is looking at Shreyas Iyer as his potential successor as the India T20I captain.
Shreyas Iyer leads India T20I captaincy race
As reported by the Times Of India, the BCCI is considering appointing Shreyas Iyer as the next captain of the Indian T20I side.
Although Suryakumar Yadav recently powered the Men in Blue to their third T20 World Cup trophy, his age and poor batting form don't guarantee him a spot in the India squad for the next edition of the tournament.
As India begin preparations for the 2028 World Cup, the BCCI plans a massive overhaul of the leadership group. The TOI report claims Iyer is currently ahead of his competitors in the T20I captaincy race.
Why is Shreyas Iyer the frontrunner as Suryakumar Yadav's T20I replacement?
Shreyas Iyer has played 51 T20Is, scoring 1104 runs at an average of 30.7 and a decent strike rate of 136.1.
He played his last T20I way back in December 2023 when Australia toured to India for a five-match series.
Interestingly, that series marked Suryakumar Yadav's first assignment as the T20I captain, although he became a full-time skipper after Rohit Sharma's retirement the following year.
Although Iyer hasn't played a T20I since 2023, his incredible performance as a batter and a captain in the IPL keep him ahead of his contemporaries in the Indian T20I captaincy race.
The stylish Mumbai batter propelled KKR to the title in IPL 2024 before making Punjab Kings play the IPL final for the first time in eleven years.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav Only Behind Rohit Sharma In Big Unwanted IPL Record For MI
Although PBKS lost to eventual champions RCB, Iyer's bold captaincy style and aggressive stroke-play earned him massive applause from fans and critics.
The 31-year-old is at the peak of his prowess in IPL 2026, as he has cruised to 203 runs in just four innings at an average of 67.67 and a blistering strike rate of 187.96.
When will India replace Suryakumar Yadav with Shreyas Iyer as T20I captain?
On the contrary, Suryakumar Yadav has been struggling with a persistent lean patch for quite some time now.
Since 2024, Surya has managed 1131 runs across 50 T20I innings at a poor average of 26.30. His career has been plagued by frequent injury setbacks, and considering he is on the wrong side of the 30s, Suryakumar may not remain in the T20I scheme of things for a long time.
The TOI report states that the BCCI is currently prioritising the 2027 World Cup and could announce Shreyas Iyer as Suryakumar Yadav's successor in due course.
