BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar will get an extension when his contract expires in June 2026, according to The Indian Express. The report claimed that Agarkar’s contract will be extended by a year till June 2027. During Agarkar’s tenure, India won three ICC trophies – T20 World Cup 2024, Champions Trophy 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026. India also reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup at home and with the next edition of the tournament in 2027, the BCCI is reportedly keen to retain him.
“Under Agarkar’s tenure, the team had a seamless transition and was fearless in taking bold decisions. The board felt he should continue. The BCCI officer bearers will be speaking to him on the sidelines of IPL games to update him,” a BCCI official said.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav may have led India to an impressive T20 World Cup title defence but given his patchy batting form, serious questions remain on whether he will be in the scheme of things for the country’s Los Angeles Olympics campaign in 2028.
And in this backdrop, India’s tour of England and Ireland in June-July will be crucial for the skipper as more than his captaincy, his batting would be under scrutiny.
The tour could decide whether he will be given another two years till the next phase of big events in 2028 which includes the Olympics and T20 World Cup in Australia.
Suryakumar still remains the first choice for head coach Gautam Gambhir, who is expecting a contract extension till the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia.
However, it will be interesting to see whether the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee agrees with his view as the T20 skipper will be pushing 38 at the time of Olympics.
“Obviously Surya is now leading the team. But he also has to ensure that as a batter, he maintains a level of consistency in his performances. Obviously, he will lead in the UK but after that, discussions going forward till 2028 could be purely performance-based,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Suryakumar had a torrid 2025 in which his strike rate dropped to less than 120 and he couldn’t manage a single fifty.
It changed in 2026, when he scored four half centuries till the end of the T20 World Cup at a good strike rate of 160 plus.
However, at the T20 World Cup, save the first game against the USA, Suryakumar didn’t have performances of note.
When faced with big teams, his scores were 18 (against South Africa), 18 (against West Indies), 11 vs England (semi-final) and 0 in final against New Zealand.
With India boasting of tremendous firepower in top three and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi yet to be unleashed, Suryakumar needs to find the consistency that keeps him in strong stead.