Shreyas Iyer replaced Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of the Indian T20I team.
The BCCI Men’s Selection Committee on Saturday (June 6) officially appointed Shreyas Iyer as the new captain of the Indian T20I team, replacing Suryakumar Yadav for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games 2026.
Despite leading India to T20 World Cup title earlier this year, Suryakumar was dropped from the national squad entirely following an extended dip in form.
While Shreyas took over the captaincy, Tilak Varma was named his deputy. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited long-term planning and Iyer's stellar domestic and IPL record for giving him the leadership role.
At the time the official announcement was made, Shreyas Iyer was gearing up to play for the SoBo Mumbai Falcons in the T20 Mumbai League. Shortly after the game ended at the Wankhede Stadium, he shared his immediate feelings on being appointed T20I skipper.
“It is a great feeling and also an honour to represent the country at this level and leading them,” Shreyas said after guiding Mumbai Falcons to five-wicket victory over Suryakumar Yadav-led Triumph Knights with a half-century.
He added, “Definitely happy with what happened today on the field. I got crucial runs, took our team to victory. I absolutely loved it.”
Iyer also expressed gratitude to his fans, stating, “I love my fans. The way they supported me and the contribution that they have showed throughout these years, I think it’s tremendous. I want to shower my love and respect for the fans.”
Shreyas Iyer takes over the reins, having proven his leadership mettle in the IPL, including a title win for KKR in 2024 and runners-up finish for DC and PBKS in 2020 and 2025 respectively.
India's T20I squads for Ireland and England tours: Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince YadavIndia cricket jersey
India's squad for 2026 Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi