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The Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is nearing the business end as we have three matches left in the tournament in the group stage. As soon as the IPL ends, the India national cricket team will travel to Ireland for the T20I tour, and before that, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Tilak Verma are the three names as candidates for the India men’s T20I captaincy.
According to a recent report by News18, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering the above names as India’s next T20I captain. Ajit Agarkar and the selectors are looking to move on from the struggling Suryakumar Yadav, who is also aging and his batting has been a question mark for the IPL and the national team as well.
Will Shreyas Iyer become the next captain?
According to PTI report, Shreyas Iyer of Punjab Kings (PBKS) is a strong contender. However, the final decision regarding India’s next T20I captain will be taken by head coach Gautam Gambhir. The report also suggests that there is uncertainty about his equation with Iyer, as Iyer left Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) because he was unhappy with the fact that mentor Gambhir got the credit for the IPL 2024 victory.
Shreyas Iyer has been one of the best captains in white ball cricket in recent times. He is also the vice-captain of the ODI team and plays one format. However, he has improved his shorter format skills and has already led three IPL teams to finals and won once with KKR. His performance in T20 format has also been consistently good.
Shubman Gill leads the race for T20 captain
Apart from Shreyas, Shubman Gill and Tilak Verma. According to the report, the former player is one of the leading contenders due to his success with Gujarat Titans GT, who have finished IPL 2026 in the top two despite a poor start to the season. He has been one of the highest run-scorers in the tournament.
Tilak Verma is another contender, but not the most obvious one, as the southpaw has been inconsistent in the IPL and finally found his place in the latter stages of the league. “If Surya is sacked, don’t rule out Tilak. There is a reason why Tilak has been made captain for the tri-A series, where the selectors will get to see his leadership skills,” the report quoted a source as saying.
There will be a reshuffle in India’s batting order
The big question that will arise is when Shubman Gill returns as captain: Where will Sanju Samson bat for the Men in Blue? There will be a revamp in the batting order as Sanju will have to come in at No. 3 and Ishan Kishan, who was batting at No. 3, will be dropped at No. 4.
Considering Ishan Kishan’s form and his leadership qualities, he can also be a contender for captaincy, as he has led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) well in the absence of Pat Cummins. The decision on this will be taken after the IPL is over.
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