Middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer is emerging as a strong candidate to replace Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain. Amid Suryakumar’s prolonged slump, the Punjab Kings skipper is staking a strong case with consistent performances as a batsman and captain in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Punjab Kings are the only unbeaten team so far in the season. They are on top of the table with nine points. The team had wins over Gujarat Titans (GT), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI), while their match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was washed out due to rain.
Shreyas Iyer The only player to lead three teams in the IPL final
Shreyas Iyer is the only player to guide three different teams to the Indian Premier League final. He led Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2020, won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and led Punjab Kings to the 2025 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Iyer has carried that winning momentum into the IPL campaign with head coach Ricky Ponting. He is currently enjoying sensational performances for Punjab Kings in the 2026 season. Iyer has scored 203 runs in four innings at an aggressive strike rate of 187.96, which includes three half-centuries.
Last season, Iyer scored an impressive 604 runs in 17 matches for Punjab Kings. He also recently led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2024.
Shreyas Iyer emerges as key option as India reevaluate T20 setup
While the focus has shifted to Shreyas Iyer as India rethink their T20 setup, Suryakumar Yadav’s long-running slump has created a tough time for Gautam Gambhir and the selectors.
According to a report by times of IndiaIf the selectors decide to drop Suryakumar, Iyer is the most obvious option. Despite being the ODI vice-captain, he has not played any T20I since December 2023 and missed both the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups.
“Iyer last played a T20 match in 2023. He is not part of the current squad. Bringing him back and directly handing over the captaincy is a big challenge. The focus has shifted to the 2027 ODI World Cup, giving the selectors a reprieve to plan for a T20 leadership change,” a BCCI source told TOI.
Once he found his way back into the Indian team… – James Hopes
Shreyas Iyer has become a confident leader at Punjab Kings, he has improved on his weaknesses and taken complete control as captain. Coach James Hopes believes his game has matured, while his strong understanding with Ricky Ponting is supporting his leadership and batting.
“He is very aware of what his weaknesses have been over the years. He has really overcome them this season. When he had the injury in Australia (in October last year), he has started to overcome them in international cricket as well,” Hopes said here on Saturday. “Once he comes back to the Indian team, you will see that he will be a great batsman throughout his career. Captaincy improves his batting,” Hopes said.
Iyer has always been in a comfortable environment around Ponting. As a captain, no one’s help is needed now. “He was very young when he was captaining Delhi. He is very well planned, but still follows his gut,” Hopes said. He said, “Ricky and Shreyas work well together. When we attend our meetings, he is the captain. He leads the way and he has his ideas, he is willing to listen.”
Also read: Smriti Mandhana broke the record, defeated Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, became the highest T20 run scorer for India.
