The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly relieved Suryakumar Yadav from the men’s T20I captaincy duties. According to The Indian Express, the Mumbaikar will no longer be considered for selection as a player, bringing an end to his stint as one of India’s best batters of the shortest format. That would make the 2026 T20 World Cup final against New Zealand his last match for the country.
Suryakumar was appointed India’s permanent T20I captain in July 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma. At the time, he was the world’s premier T20I batter, holding the No. 1 ICC ranking. He beat all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the job, despite the latter being a more experienced stand-in skipper in the previous year.
Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India achieved immense success, securing eight consecutive bilateral series victories, the 2025 Asia Cup, and a historic title defense at the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, these coincided with a severe batting slump. Beginning in early 2025, Suryakumar averaged a meager 12.84 across 25 matches and managed only 270 runs during the 2026 IPL.
“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," the report quoted a BCCI source as saying.
Other reports have claimed that Shreyas Iyer is set to replace him at the job, with the change expected to begin during the two-match series against Ireland later this month. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar is said to have backed Shreyas for the role for some time.
Until anything is official, there are other candidates in the fray, including Jharkhand’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy-winning skipper Ishan Kishan, who also led Sunrisers Hyderabad with aplomb in IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians’ Tilak Varma, and Chennai Super Kings’ Sanju Samson. Suryakumar’s deputy at the World Cup, Axar Patel, would also likely come up in discussions, though at the moment his promotion seems unlikely.
Source: News18