A change at the top of India's T20 setup appears increasingly likely, with Suryakumar Yadav expected to lose the captain's role ahead of the team's UK assignment, according to a PTI report. The issue could reportedly be discussed with the apex council even before selectors finalise the squad for the upcoming tour of the UK. Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma are understood to be the strongest contenders for the leadership position.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is likely to brief the apex council on whether the national selection committee and Gautam Gambhir share a common position on Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy. A leadership change could have wider ramifications, as the batter's underwhelming returns over the past 18 months may also jeopardise his spot in the squad.
"Surya is set to be removed from captaincy. The selectors wanted to wait till the end of IPL to see whether he can get back to form. Since he looked completely out of form and not just out of runs... a tough call needs to be taken," a BCCI source told PTI on Wednesday.
"The selectors would be dropping him from the long list and had given an indication that Surya is now out of their scheme of things. Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma are contenders to become next T20 captain," the source added.
Suryakumar Yadav Batting Form
Although Suryakumar Yadav led India to a historic title defence at the T20 World Cup a few months ago, questions surrounding his form with the bat have persisted throughout the year.
The right-hander endured a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, scoring 270 runs from 13 innings at an average of 20.76 and a strike rate of 147.54. His struggles were also evident during the T20 World Cup, where he accumulated 242 runs across nine innings at a strike rate of 136.72.
His standout performance came in India's tournament opener against the USA in Mumbai, where an unbeaten 84 earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.
Suryakumar Yadav, who turns 36 later this year, faces increasing uncertainty over his place in India's future white-ball setup. The experienced batter did not find a place in the BCCI's 30-member preliminary roster for the upcoming Asian Games, submitted earlier this year. He has publicly stated that representing India at the LA28 Olympics remains one of his objectives.
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