Gautam Gambhir giving India captaincy cap to Shreyas Iyer. Image Credits: ChatGPT
Shreyas Iyer has been touted by former Australia captain and his head coach at the Punjab Kings (PBKS) Ricky Ponting as possibly the next India T20I captain. This comes after Iyer was included in India’s ODI team for the three ODIs in Afghanistan.
Shreyas Iyer has been excellent as captain in T20s in the Indian Premier League. He led the Delhi Capitals to the IPL final in 2020 and then won the IPL 2024 for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He then took over the reins of the Punjab Kings franchise in IPL 2025 and took them to the final as well.
Punjab Kings in IPL 2026
Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings had one of the best starts to their IPL 2026 season. They won six games out of the first seven they played in the season. The only game they didn’t win was abandoned due to rain in Kolkata.
However, fortunes have turned 180 degrees for Punjab Kings, as they are on a downward slope. PBKS has lost six games on a trot and is now in danger of missing out on the playoffs. They once had 13 points from 7 games in IPL 2026 and led the points table. While now they are placed at the no. 5 spot with the same points, but from 13 games.
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Shreyas Iyer is one of the main contenders: Ricky Ponting on India’s T20I captaincy
Recently, Punjab Kings head coach and Aussie great Ricky Ponting was in interaction with the Press Trust of India (PTI) and spoke on the Indian T20I captaincy. This comes after India won the T20 World Cup 2026 under Suryakumar Yadav.
However, Yadav has been in poor batting form since taking over as India captain in 2024, and reports have stated that BCCI selectors are looking forward to having a new captain, keeping in mind the next T20 World Cup and the Olympics in 2028.
"I think there are several contenders, but he's (Shreyas Iyer) one of the main contenders as far as I’m concerned. I think we saw at the start of the tournament just how good a T20 player he is and where he’s at, both on and off the field right now,” Ponting told the PTI.
"I think he’s a much more mature player than he’s probably ever been in his whole career. I think he’s completely on top of his game now. He’s probably a good example of what I was talking about earlier; it’s really hard to maintain a high level of consistency through 14 games of cricket. There are going to be times when you have your ups and downs as an individual and as a team,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer will make the most of it: Ricky Ponting India’s T20I captaincy
Pointing further, he added that he loves watching Suryakumar Yadav bat and lead the Indian team. And he is surprised if the Indian team is chosen and Suryakumar Yadav is missing from it. However, with a transition happening in Indian cricket, Shreyas Iyer sits at the sweet spot in his career, where captaincy will be welcomed.
"I’ve been pretty vocal over the last couple of years that whenever India selects a team, and Surya’s not in it, I’m always very surprised. On the back of this IPL, I’m sure he’s one name the selectors will talk about, not just to get back into the side, but also with the captaincy next to his name.
The thing about Indian cricket is that you don’t just walk back into teams. You’ve got to put a lot of runs on the board and do it in a certain way. His season so far has been very impressive, and his captaincy has been excellent. I just think he’s in that little sweet spot in his life and career where, if captaincy came his way, then I think he’d make the most of it,” Ponting concluded.
Shreyas Iyer’s record in IPL 2026
Shreyas Iyer had scored more than 600 runs when PBKS played the final of the IPL 2025 and has carried that form into the IPL 2026 as well. He has 397 runs in 13 games with 5 fifties and a strike rate of 162.70.
Iyer was in contention for an Indian T20I return against New Zealand, but he couldn’t recover in time for the same from his stomach injury and hence missed out on the T20 World Cup. He is the current India ODI vice-captain and might very well become the India T20I captain as well.
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