The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to sack Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain before away tours of Ireland and England in June and July. Although Suryakumar successfully defended India’s T20 World Cup title at home in March, his own performance was a major talking point.
BCCI to announce India’s new T20I captain
Since assuming the role as captain in July 2024, Suryakumar’s performance has declined. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 was expected to be his chance at redemption. But Suryakumar had his worst IPL season since 217, scoring 270 runs in 13 innings.
This has turned out to be the tipping point for the selectors. Not only will Suryakumar be removed as skipper, but he won’t make the team as a batter. The BCCI will consult with India head Gautam Gambhir and the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, to announce his replacement.
“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. He won’t be considered for selection, and the decision will be conveyed to Surya soon,” a top BCCI official told The Indian Express.
Suryakumar Yadav’s T20 numbers
| Period | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Until June 2024 in T20Is | 65 | 2340 | 43.33 | 167.74 | 4/19 |
| Since July 2024 in T20Is (took over as captain) | 42 | 932 | 25.88 | 152.03 | 0/6 |
| In T20 World Cup 2026 | 9 | 242 | 30.25 | 136.72 | 0/1 |
| In IPL 2026 | 13 | 270 | 20.76 | 147.54 | 0/2 |
Who can replace Suryakumar Yadav as skipper?
The selectors and team management have 4 potential options: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. All four are either current IPL captains or have led in the tournament. On paper, Axar has the best case since he was Suryakumar’s deputy in the T20 World Cup. However, he hasn’t done well as the Delhi Capitals captain.
In reality, Shreyas is the best option. He guided the Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final and has been exceptional in the middle order. The only issue is, he isn’t even part of the T20I team. In fact, he last played in the shortest format for India in December 2023.
Kishan and Samson have outside chances. The former recently led the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pat Cummins’ absence, but he only came into the T20I team in January. Samson has the most experience as captain, having just left the Rajasthan Royals last year. Also, he has been part of the team since 2024.
Cricket
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