Shreyas Iyer named India T20I captain as Suryakumar dropped for 2028 World Cup

Shreyas Iyer will lead India’s T20I team ahead of the 2028 Olympics and T20 World Cup as selectors named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for his first call-up.

Captaincy Change Announced Shreyas Iyer is set to take over as India’s T20I captain, replacing Suryakumar Yadav, with the selectors finalizing plans for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the T20 World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The updated squad for India’s upcoming tour of Ireland and England will be revealed on Saturday, marking the team’s first T20I series since Suryakumar led them to victory in the T20 World Cup held in March. ## Suryakumar’s Squad Exit Suryakumar Yadav, aged 35, appears likely to be left out of the squad entirely after a subpar 2026 T20 World Cup where he managed just 242 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 136.72, followed by a disappointing IPL stint where he scored only 270 runs in 13 innings with an average of 20.76 and a strike rate of 147.54. ## New Leader and Youngest Call-Up Shreyas Iyer, 31, has not featured in a T20 international since December 2023 due to limited opportunities caused by Suryakumar and Tilak Varma being preferred in the middle order. He last joined the T20I squad as an injury replacement for the home series against New Zealand in January but did not play, as the team opted for players selected for the subsequent T20 World Cup. ## Proven Captain with IPL Success Shreyas brings strong leadership credentials, having guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and led Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to finals in 2020 and 2025. His recent IPL performances include 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07 in 2025 and 498 runs at 168.81 in 2026. ## Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Breakout Season Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is poised to become the youngest player ever selected for India’s men’s team since Sachin Tendulkar in the late 1980s, following his explosive IPL 2026 campaign where he amassed 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30. Before the Ireland and England tour, he will represent India A in a tri-series in Sri Lanka featuring Afghanistan from June 9 to 21. ## Upcoming Series Schedule India’s next engagements include two T20Is against Ireland in Belfast on June 26 and 28, followed by a five-match T20I series in England from July 1 to 11. The squad announcement for these tours is scheduled for Saturday.