Suryakumar Yadav set to be sacked as India T20I captain? Here’s the update

Suryakumar Yadav, who has been grappling with poor form for a prolonged period, stands to lose both his T20I captaincy and his place in the team. According to reports, the BCCI has now decided to replace the captain expected to lead the team to the 2026 T20 World Cup title; the primary reason for this decision is Suryakumar Yadav's dismal form.

According to a few reports, the T20I captaincy has effectively been taken away from Suryakumar, and an official announcement regarding this is expected within a few days. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), following consultations with the team management and the selection committee, will appoint a new captain for the upcoming cycle. The report further indicates that Suryakumar—who has been struggling with the bat for the past year—is also set to be dropped from the team.

“The selection committee, BCCI and team management, in consultation with coach Gautam Gambhir, have decided that India should go with a new skipper from here on. Under Surya’s captaincy, the team did win the T20 World Cup, but keeping his form and future in mind, they felt it’s time to move on. He won’t be considered for selection, and the decision will be conveyed to Surya soon," a top BCCI official told the aforementioned news portal. 

Who will be the next T20I captain?

It will be quite interesting to see who replaces Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain. Currently, several names are frontrunners for this position, most notably Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Shubman Gill, and Axar Patel. Shreyas Iyer leads the pack among these contenders, although he played his last T20I match back in 2023. Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar has staked his claim by winning two consecutive IPL titles, though he is yet to make his T20I debut. 

Additionally, the names of Tilak Varma and Axar Patel are also being discussed; however, since Axar did not achieve significant success as captain for the Delhi Capitals, it seems unlikely that he will be handed the reins of the national team. According to some reports, Sanju Samson—the 'Player of the Tournament' at the 2026 T20 World Cup—is currently Coach Gautam Gambhir's first choice for the captaincy role. Sanju has previously captained the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, even leading them all the way to the final. Furthermore, Shubman Gill guided GT to the finals while captaining the side in IPL 2026; given that he already serves as the captain of both the Test and ODI teams, his candidacy for the T20I captaincy is significantly strengthened.

India’s upcoming T20I series

The Indian team’s next T20I cycle will start from the Ireland tour later this month. The team will play 2 T20I matches against the Irish team on June 26 & 28. Following this, India will take on England in a 5-match T20I series, which is set to commence on July 1.