Shreyas Iyer in Contention for Captaincy as BCCI Set to Form Two T20I Teams After IPL 2026

Shreyas Iyer has already proved his captaincy credentials with a stunning leadership record in the Indian Premier League. After becoming the only skipper to lead three different teams into the tournament final, including the title-winning run in 2024, he has once again provided a fierce start to the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2026.

Notably, with last night’s dominating victory over Lucknow at home, PBKS became the first side in the history of the league to stay unbeaten in six successive matches to kick off an IPL season. A formidable batting line-up, backed by a brilliant bowling unit, has made the last edition’s runners-up a tough one to beat for the other IPL 2026 teams.

ALSO READ:

Shreyas Iyer Might Lead India in T20Is After IPL 2026

Earlier, he had also emerged as a strong candidate to take over the ODI reins after a sensational show in the last IPL season. However, following the exceptional leadership record, the 31-year-old now stands a strong chance of captaining India in the shortest format of the game after the conclusion of IPL 2026.

With the West Indies’ white-ball tour of India and the Asian Games 2026 overlapping in September, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to build two strong T20 contingents to simultaneously take part in both the tournaments. While Shreyas remains the front-runner to don the skipper’s hat, the selectors might also be on the lookout for including some upcoming talents like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Priyansh Arya, and Anukul Roy in the squad.

“The Asian Games and India vs West Indies T20 Series are going to be at the same time. So, we have to look at two T20 teams playing. It is important from now to have a pool of 30-35 cricketers who can be called up for International assignments. For the upcoming Ireland tour, a bigger pool of players will be kept in the squad. This will extend for the Asian Games,” stated a BCCI official to NDTV.

Previously, Shreyas had led India A in one unofficial Test and a three-match One-Day rubber against Australia A on home soil last year. The hosts had clinched the 50-over series by 2-1, with the skipper notching up 180 runs at an average of 60.00 to become the second-highest scorer of the series.

With questions around Suryakumar Yadav’s persistent lean patch, the opportunity might prove to be crucial for the batter to strengthen his captaincy claims ahead of the forthcoming T20 World Cup as well as the Olympics in 2028.

For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.