While the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027 is the big target to focus on, Team India’s peripheral vision can easily look at the road to the Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 and the LA Olympics. The two T20 events are not miles ahead. Considering how well Gautam Gambhir and his staff have done in the shortest format of the game, the BCCI can easily extend their tenure till the next T20 World Cup and the return of cricket at the Games after more than 100 years..
Often when a captain is dropped from a team after a World Cup, it is because of an unwanted reason. The team would’ve struggled big time in the recently concluded mega event. But in India and Suryakumar Yadav‘s case, it is totally different.
In fact, the Men in Blue did the unprecedented under SKY’s captaincy. India became the first team to defend a T20 World Cup crown, win the tournament at home, and win the mega event thrice. Still, when India start their road for the next cycle, he isn’t in the squad. Instead, it is Shreyas Iyer, who will lead the side, starting with the two T20 internationals against Ireland.
Shreyas Iyer gets a clean slate, but not an easy one
There couldn’t have been a stranger time to hand over India’s T20 captaincy. Shreyas Iyer isn’t replacing a struggling captain or a dressing room desperate for change. He is succeeding a man who has just delivered India’s greatest T20 campaign. That, in many ways, makes this job even harder.
Yes, Suryakumar Yadav’s batting has basically led him to his ouster, but his camaraderie with coach Gambhir was on point. The selectors have looked beyond one World Cup. They are planning for the next one.
Iyer’s appointment is not a gamble, however. Over the last three IPL seasons, he has built one of the strongest leadership portfolios in franchise cricket. He is the only captain in IPL history to take three different franchises to a final, while his own batting has evolved alongside his captaincy. He smashed 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07 in IPL 2025 before following it up with another outstanding season for Punjab Kings, scoring 498 runs at a strike rate of 168.81.
| Player (Team) | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shreyas Iyer (PBKS) | 29 | 1072 | 101* | 53.60 | 174.30 | 1/11 |
| Jos Buttler (GT) | 30 | 1064 | 97* | 46.26 | 157.62 | 0/9 |
| Suryakumar Yadav (MI) | 29 | 987 | 73* | 41.12 | 161.80 | 0/7 |
| Ishan Kishan (SRH) | 28 | 956 | 106* | 38.24 | 170.10 | 1/7 |
| Rajat Patidar (RCB) | 27 | 812 | 93* | 33.83 | 171.30 | 0/7 |
Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy résumé
| Tournament | Achievement |
|---|---|
| IPL 2020 | Took Delhi Capitals to maiden IPL final |
| IPL 2024 | Won IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 | Won SMAT title with Mumbai |
| IPL 2025 | Guided Punjab Kings to IPL final |
| IPL 2026 | 498 runs at SR 168.81 while leading PBKS |
| India T20Is | First full-time assignment begins vs Ireland |
Iyer’s biggest challenge would be to take this well-settled core to another level. India have moved on from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in T20Is. Suryakumar Yadav is no longer around either. Tilak Varma has been made vice-captain, pointing out that the management isn’t looking six months ahead. It is looking two years down the road. Managing huge upcoming stars like Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and a host of fast bowlers would be critical.
The Ireland series might be easy for India, but the subplots will be there to be seen.
The Vaibhav Sooryavanshi factor
Every new cycle brings up a fresh player or two, but this is a whole different breed. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the face of the Indian T20 scene. Yes, at just 15 years, he is creating the hype for the series, with broadcasters feasting on his presence. On the back of him being here, ticket sales are through the roof in the UK.
If selected in Belfast, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will become India’s youngest-ever international cricketer, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s 37-year-old record before even turning 16. He would also become the youngest player to debut for an ICC Full Member in men’s T20Is.
Don’t be surprised if he takes the international stage by storm as well.
In IPL 2026, the Rajasthan Royals opener rewrote the tournament record books, scoring 776 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 237.30 while collecting the Orange Cap, MVP award and Emerging Player honour. He struck a staggering 72 sixes, the most ever in a single T20 tournament. Bowlers who are the best exponents of their crafts were looking like fillers against Sooryavanshi.
Why everyone is talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
- 15 years, 91 days if he debuts against Ireland
- Can become India’s youngest-ever international, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record
- IPL 2026: 776 runs, Orange Cap, MVP and Emerging Player
- Strike rate: 237.30 across the season
- 72 sixes, the most by any batter in a single T20 tournament
- Fastest List A fifty ever: 11 balls for India A against Sri Lanka A
- U-19 World Cup final: 175 off just 80 balls against England
And he has only strengthened that case since the IPL ended.
In the India A tri-series final against Sri Lanka A, Sooryavanshi blasted 94 off just 29 balls, racing to a half-century in only 11 deliveries, the fastest ever recorded in List A cricket. Earlier this year, he smashed 175 off 80 balls in the Under-19 World Cup final to power India to another youth world title. He won the Player of the Tournament there as well.
The debate now isn’t whether he is talented enough. It is where he fits.
Abhishek Sharma has established himself at the top, while Sanju Samson remains the incumbent wicketkeeper-opener. Without Samson, India wouldn’t have won the World Cup as well. If Sooryavanshi walks into the XI immediately, somebody will have to make way. Those are the selection headaches India would happily accept because they usually come only when the talent pool is overflowing.
India’s T20I squad for Ireland & England
Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Suryansh Shedge (replaces Nitish Kumar Reddy), Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Varun Chakravarthy (not available for IRE series)
Ireland may not reveal whether India can win another World Cup. It can, however, tell us what the next Indian T20 side is going to look like. A new captain. A new vice-captain. And perhaps the incoming of the anomaly that is Sooryavanshi.
