3 Contenders Emerge In India's T20I Captaincy Race Amid Suryakumar Yadav Sacking Reports
Suryakumar Yadav era will end soon in Indian cricket. Sources told NDTV that the BCCI selectors are most likely to remove him as skipper in the next few days
- Suryakumar Yadav is likely to be removed as India's T20 captain soon by BCCI selectors
- Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma are the main contenders to replace Yadav as India's T20 captain
- Coach Gambhir prefers Sanju Samson, but selectors doubt Samson's and Ishan Kishan's consistency
Suryakumar Yadav era will end soon in Indian cricket. Sources told NDTV that the BCCI selectors are most likely to remove him as India T20I skipper in the next few days. His place in the team will also be discussed, the sources added. The BCCI Apex Council will meet on Thursday, where the decision to remove Yadav will be officially conveyed. A T20 World Cup-winning captain being sacked just three months after winning the marquee event is a rarity in world cricket.
Yadav's dwindling form fast-tracked the removal process. The once lethal batter now stands on the cusp of getting axed from the team altogether. India's next T20 series are against Ireland and England (later this month), and Yadav may not be picked for the two series at all. It brings to the fore - the most important question: Who will be the next T20 captain?
The Three Likely Contenders
According to a report in news agency PTI, there are two contenders to replace Suryakumar Yadav as next T20 captain.
"Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma are contenders to become next T20 captain." However, the choice of captaincy isn't a straightforward one.
With Surya getting dropped, Shreyas, an IPL-winning skipper, looks an obvious choice. Iyer is currently the captain of Punjab Kings. He plays at No. 4 position, the spot where Yadav usually plays. Iyer has so far played 14 Tests, 76 ODIs and 51 T20Is. He looks to be the closest like-for-like replacement for Yadav, which might also smoothen the transition process.
But the left-field choice could be Tilak, who many in the selection committee feel is an ideal candidate given his age.
"Tilak has been made captain for A series in Sri Lanka to check out his captaincy credentials," the source told PTI. The 23-year-old Varma has been a long-time member of Mumbai Indians. He was the hero of India's Asia Cup 2025 final win against Pakistan.
It is understood that Gambhir has certain reservations about Shreyas, who was the captain of KKR in 2024, when the current India head coach was a mentor.
At the time, Shreyas had publicly spoken about being underappreciated, something that didn't go unnoticed.
The report added, it's no secret that Gambhir's choice is Sanju Samson, who had a wonderful knockout phase during the T20 World Cup, but the selectors aren't convinced that either the Kerala batter or Ishan Kishan could be consistent for a prolonged period of time
Sanju Samson
India Cricket Team