Shreyas Iyer to Be T20I Skipper? Ravi Shastri Wants THIS Player to Replace Suryakumar Yadav
It’s been over two months since Suryakumar Yadav led India to the T20 World Cup title. But with the bat, he has not done well and the poor form has continued into IPL 2026. MI are also out of the Playoffs race. This has led to speculation that he could be replaced as T20I skipper.
There is chatter that Shreyas Iyer is expected to take over the role. Shreyas has not played the shortest format since 2023. But he has led well in the IPL. In 2020, he led DC to a maiden final and in 2024, led KKR to the title. In 2025, he led PBKS to the final and in IPL 2026, he is in the hunt to finish in the top four and take part in the Playoffs.
However, 1983 World Cup winner Ravi Shastri, who has also coached Team India, wants someone else to be in charge. In his opinion, Sanju Samson has the credentials to be at the helm. The 31-year-old would be the ideal candidate to replace the 35-year-old Suryakumar as India look ahead to the T20 World Cup in 2026. Shreyas is also 31.
“India, come the next (T20) World Cup (in 2028), might be looking for a new captain, depending on how Surya goes over the next couple of years But Sanju Samson has put himself there for a leadership role because he’s done that in the past for Rajasthan (Royals)," he said on The ICC Review.
“And he’s a certainty in the side, at the top of the order, extremely destructive. So I see him, this is just the start of something more you’ll see from Sanju over the next two or three years. I think he (Samson) has put a lid on all those question marks. There was always ability. People would, in fact, be disappointed because he wouldn’t do justice to that ability," he added.
“But my word this season, the way he’s played after his performance in the T20 World Cup where single-handedly he almost won India games, the big games, the quarter-finals (West Indies, Super 8), semi-finals, the final, and the way he stepped up and the maturity he’s showing now in the IPL, makes him a clear case as far as I’m concerned for leadership in the future," he went on to say.
Sanju Samson’s Good FormSamson scored 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 with a strike rate of 199.38 in the T20 World Cup. He was named Player of the Tournament. In the ongoing IPL 2026, where he is playing for CSK, the keeper-batter has so far made 450 runs in 12 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 164.23. CSK are still in the hunt for a place in the Playoffs and from there they can aim for a record 6th IPL title.