The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly planning to remove Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of the Indian T20 team, when the selectors meet to chose the squad for the upcoming T20I series.
Yadav was appointed to lead India's T20I side following their 2024 T20 World Cup title win under Rohit Sharma, and the latter’s retirement from the format on the international stage. Though Yadav performed well with the bat in 2024, his lean run with the bat in the T20 World Cup earlier this year and the ongoing IPL has reportedly made the selectors look for other options. Since taking over as the captain, he has scored 932 runs in 45 matches. A persistent wrist injury too has had laid him low.
Playing for the Mumbai Indians, Yadav has scored only 195 runs from 10 matches, averaging 19.5 with a strike rate of 145.52. Also, approaching 36, age too is on the wrong side for Yadav.
India has a packed T20I schedule this year, with two matches against Ireland in June, five against England in July and three against Zimbabwe in July.
Reports suggest that despite Yadav’s experience and value to the team, Shreyas Iyer is the front-runner to replace him as the skipper. With the BCCI looking at a long-term option, the 31-year-old seems to the perfect fit, going by his batting exploits and captaincy record.
In 2020, he led the Delhi Capitals to their maiden IPL final. In the 2024 edition, he was a key figure for the Kolkata Knight Riders, as the franchise ended their long wait for an IPL title. His leadership skills came to the fore again in 2025 when he moved to the Punjab Kings, and guided them to the final. The Punjab Kings' impressive run has continued this season, too, with the team firmly in contention for a playoff spot, further strengthening Iyer's case for captaincy.
Iyer's consistent run with the bat, too, and the rate at which he has scored it, work in his favour. Since joining the Punjab Kings, he has established himself as a reliable and explosive Indian batter in the T20 format. Across the 2025 and 2026 IPL seasons, he has featured in 27 matches, amassing 937 runs at an impressive average of 49.31 and a strike rate of 171, including 10 half-centuries.
It remains to be seen whether Yadav will be retained in the team as a batter if he is removed as the skipper.
There are other names like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan doing the rounds, but the odds seem to be in favour of Iyer for now.