Suryakumar is unlikely to be picked due to his extended lean patch with the bat.
Rumours are rife that Suryakumar Yadav, who led India to the T20 World Cup title earlier this year, is set to be removed as skipper, and he is unlikely to be picked for the squad due to his extended lean patch with the bat.
Suryakumar couldn’t score a T20I half-century last year, and also failed to leave a mark against top-ranked team during India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign. The 35-year-old carried his poor form into the IPL 2026, where he scored 270 runs in 13 innings at a low average of 20.77 for the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Amid the reports of his axing, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has thrown his weight behind Suryakumar Yadav, comparing the latter’s case to Virat Kohli.
“Suryakumar Yadav is not a new batter. He is a proven player. Just in the last IPL, he scored 700 runs. Not being in form is one thing. Even Kohli was out of form for two years, but the belief was there that once he got the touch, he would score again. Suryakumar is on par with Kohli in T20S, he is not less,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“Don’t compare in World Cups. I agree he has not scored in World Cups, but he is not a light player. Even a player like Kohli had a bad patch, but he got the backing. Every player has a bad time. You could drop him after a series or two, then I would not have had a problem. At least give the winning captain some respect,” he added.
According to Kaif, Surya should get one more series to prove his worth. “I feel the timing is wrong. You can remove Surya, but you should have given him at least one more series. If he did not score there, then you could say now we are moving on. We gave you a chance, but you are not able to get back to form, and now we are looking towards other players. But the one who becomes captain now will have different pressure that if this has happened to Surya after winning as well, what can happen to me? He should have gotten a few more chances, and then you could remove him.”
It is being reported that Shreyas Iyer will replace Suryakumar Yadav as India's T20I captain, while Tilak Varma will be named the new vice-captain.
Speaking of Shreyas, Kaif said: “Gautam has worked before with Shreyas and won the trophy for KKR. Shreyas got Delhi and Punjab to the final. In terms of experience, Shreyas has led in the IPL, won the trophy and understands Gautam’s pattern. In terms of that mutual understanding, Shreyas seems to be the frontrunner. He is miles ahead of the other contenders. He has even scored runs while being captain. You will find very few players who are captains and also score. There is no choice better than him.”