The decision to appoint Shreyas Iyer as India’s T20I captain has kind of spark up a lot of talk among cricket fans and experts. And yeah, his last appearance for India in the shortest format came in December 2023, which is kinda something, right? After spending over two years away from the T20I setup he is now back, not just as a player but as the team’s leader
Suryakumar Yadav had a successful run as captain, and he even brought India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title after lifting the Asia Cup in 2025. Switching from a captain with achievements like that will feel like a hard thing, no doubt. Still, there are a number of solid reasons, that make Shreyas Iyer look like a deserving option for the role.
Iyer has already sort of established himself as an outstanding captain, like really. His record in the Indian Premier League shows his leadership credentials and it kind of strengthens the argument for him to lead India in T20 cricket. Now, while legendary captains like Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni basically built most of their IPL success with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings respectively, Iyer went and guided three different franchises to IPL finals, which is not a small thing.
He led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024, while Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings also made it to the final under his captaincy in different seasons, somehow.
Iyer’s leadership success was not only about the IPL though. During the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season, he captained Mumbai to the championship win. In the same year as well, he also won the IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders, and that made him the first captain to lift both the SMAT and IPL trophies, in a single calendar year.
Reports have sometimes kind of questioned the relationship between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer. Still, no solid proof has really come out to back up those claims , not yet anyway.
Regardless of the noise, Gambhir and Iyer did end up building a very productive partnership at Kolkata Knight Riders. Together they helped drive the franchise toward its third IPL title in 2024. That kind of outcome wouldn’t have been easy without a solid day to day understanding and a working harmony between them.
Also, besides leadership qualities, Iyer’s return to the T20I setup brings extra depth and steadiness to India’s batting. At 31 years old, he has repeatedly produced match winning contributions, while also managing the extra load that comes with captaincy.
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His IPL numbers for Punjab Kings further underscore that consistency , you know. He averaged 50.33 in IPL 2025 and then bumped it up to 55.33 in IPL 2026. In Punjab’s final league-stage game of the 2026 season, Iyer really rose to the occasion , with a brilliant unbeaten century in a must win kind of match.
Over the years, the right-handed batter has also crafted a few memorable innings for India. In a T20I against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala, he came to bat early and steadied everything with an unbeaten 74, and that set up India for a comfortable win , really.
During the ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025, Iyer sort of wrapped up the tournament as the highest run-scorer. His really standout displays led to him receiving the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award, which honestly felt deserved. Earlier, back in 2022, India was in trouble after a couple quick wickets fell to West Indies in an ODI. Iyer then settled everything down with a composed 63 off 71 balls , steadying the whole innings and giving India a strong base for a meaningful win.
