The race for India’s T20 captaincy is heating up, with several contenders emerging in the mix. With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 now concluded, selectors are reportedly deliberating over the ‘next leader’ of Team India’s T20 set-up.
It has been a busy Wednesday, with media reports buzzing around the captaincy debate. One report suggests that the BCCI has decided to remove Suryakumar Yadav from the role, while another claims that Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma are the frontrunners. There have also been murmurs that Gautam Gambhir has certain reservations about Shreyas.
Let’s take a look at the chain of developments that unfolded through the day.
‘BCCI Set To Ignore Sanju Samson’
A Times of India report claims that the decision-makers are not
entirely convinced about Sanju Samson’s consistency in the format.
“Axar Patel was the vice-captain for the World Cup, Ishan Kishan has age, form and leadership credentials; and then there is Sanju Samson’s name doing the rounds. Samson has recency bias on his side, but his inconsistency has not pleased key stakeholders,” the report cited an unnamed well-placed source as saying.
‘Iyer Is Agarkar’s First Choice’
According to the same report, Suryakumar is under pressure due to his batting form and concerns over a wrist injury. The Mumbai Indians batter, however, has denied any injury and has previously stated that he is targeting the LA 2028 Olympics. The report further adds that chief selector Ajit Agarkar has a succession plan in place for the white-ball formats, with Shreyas at its core.
“Ajit is a very strong chief selector, one of the strongest to have been in charge,” the report quoted an unnamed high-placed source as saying.
“He has taken some tough calls with an eye on the future, and he, along with his panel, has a plan in place for the T20I captaincy and the way forward. That’s the reason Shreyas was appointed vice-captain in ODIs and was in the squad for the last bilateral series India played before the T20 World Cup. Now, is he the coach’s choice? Or he has someone else in mind? And will that someone be the selectors’ choice? These are the important points of discussion,” the quoted source added.
‘Surya To Be Excluded’
As per The Indian Express, the Mumbaikar may no longer be considered for selection as a player, potentially bringing an end to his stint as one of India’s premier batters in the shortest format. If that happens, the 2026 T20 World Cup final against New Zealand could mark his last appearance for the country.
Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India enjoyed significant success, including eight consecutive bilateral series wins, the 2025 Asia Cup, and a historic title defence at the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, this period also coincided with a prolonged batting slump. Since early 2025, Suryakumar has averaged just 12.84 across 25 matches and scored only 270 runs in the IPL 2026 season.
“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 was time to move on. He won’t be considered for selection, and the decision will be conveyed to Surya soon,” the report quoted a BCCI source as saying.
