Following India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, skipper Suryakumar Yadav may have declared his next goal – winning the Olympic gold medal for the country – but 2028 is two years away, by which time he would turn 37.
With the next T20 World Cup also scheduled the same year in Australia and New Zealand, the prospects of Surya leading the Indian team are slim. Which raises the question: Who could be India’s next T20I captain?
Until last year, Shubman Gill was the leading contender, but his poor run of form in T20Is forced the BCCI and its selection committee to ditch the all-format captaincy plan. Notably, Gill was handed India’s Test and ODI captaincy last year.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra threw his weight behind Shreyas Iyer, stating that Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper can stake a claim to be the country’s next T20I captain with another good leadership performance in IPL 2026.
Chopra highlighted Iyer's unique IPL captaincy journey, noting his leadership growth from Delhi Capitals (DC) to a title win with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024, followed by joining PBKS, whom he led to the final in 2025.
According to Chopra, Iyer’s leadership at KKR in 2024 was somewhat overlooked due to Gautam Gambhir’s presence in the coaching staff.
"If you think that if he wins one more trophy, everything will suddenly change and everyone will stand up and applaud, that may not happen," Chopra said. “The appreciation may get louder, but his aura will not change overnight. Something like that can happen only in one scenario. The next T20 World Cup is in 2028. I am not saying that India’s T20 leadership will change immediately, but there is a possibility a couple of years down the line."
“If he stakes a claim to that spot, scores runs, which is the first criterion, takes his team to the playoffs, the final, or wins the trophy, and somehow becomes India’s T20I Captain in the near future, whether in 12 months or by the next World Cup, then everything will change. He could even become a World Cup-winning captain for India, and that aura is different. Then he would not need any endorsement from anyone," he added.
Punjab Kings will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Gujarat Titans on March 31 in Mullanpur.
