New Delhi: The debate regarding who should be India’s next T20I captain has intensified amid Shreyas Iyer’s stellar run as captain for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Iyer, who led Punjab Kings to the final in the IPL 2025 last year, has continued to impress as a leader and a batter this season.
Under Shreyas, Punjab have been playing outstanding cricket and are currently sitting on top of the IPL 2026 points table with nine points from five games. The last season’s runners-up are unbeaten so far in the IPL 2026, having won four of their five games, while their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders was washed out due to rain.
Iyer, who led the KKR to their third IPL title in 2024, has been one of the best captains in the IPL over the last few seasons. Despite him not being a regular for India in T20Is, there have been talks surrounding Iyer’s potential elevation as captain for the national team in the shortest format. Iyer was not part of India’s squad in the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this year.
India became the first team to successfully defend their title after Suryakumar Yadav led the Men in Blue to glory in the T20 World Cup 2026. India clinched back-to-back triumphs, having won the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2024 under former captain Rohit Sharma. Though there has not been any indication from the selectors or the team management regarding a change in captaincy, Iyer’s growing stature has made him a strong contender.
BCCI source opens up on Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy chances
Recently a BCCI source opened up on the chances of Iyer taking over Suryakumar as India’s next T20I captain. The source claimed it will be a big call to bring Iyer back into the T20I setup and hand him the captaincy straightaway. However, he insisted the decision won’t be rushed as India have enough time to think about the leadership transition in T20Is with focus currently on the ODI World Cup next year.
“Iyer last played a T20I in 2023. He has not been part of the current setup. It’s a big call to bring him back and hand him the captaincy straightaway,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
“The focus has shifted towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, which has given selectors breathing space to plan for a T20I leadership transition,” the source added.