It seems that there is an internal rift within the Indian men’s cricket team management over the next T20I captain. Notably, the selectors have decided to have a new name at the helm of India’s T20I side
and replace Suryakumar Yadav as its captain. Ever since, several names including Tilak Varma and Shreyas Iyer have emerged as the frontrunners of the race to be India’s next captain in the shortest format. Not only this, but there were reports that head coach Gauatm Gambhir was in favour of Sanju Samson for the position.
However, per PTI, the BCCI selectors were not in favor of him or Ishan Kishan because they doubt whether these players would be consistent for a prolonged period of time. Not only this, but the report also suggested that Gambhir had his ‘reservations’ about Iyer, who he worked with in a successful IPL winning season with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 season. During that time, there were talks about Iyer feeling that Gambhir’s presence in the team as the mentor overshadowed his contribution to the triumph.
Why has Suryakumar Yadav been removed as India’s T20Is captain?
Suryakumar Yadav has not only been removed as the captain of the Indian T20I team but is also most likely to lose his place from the squad.SKY’s form with the bat has been a big concern and he has also endured a long run of poor performances over the last two years. Not only this, but his performance was below par in the IPL 2026 as well. He could only manage to score 270 runs in 13 innings with a poor average of 20.76. Though he led the side to their third T20 World Cup earlier this year, his batting has landed him in hot waters and put him on the receiving end of criticism.
“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,” a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “He won’t be considered for selection, and the decision will be conveyed to Surya soon,” it added.
Notably, Yadav was handed reins of Indian team following the retirement of Rohit Sharma after the T20 World Cup 2024 victory.
