With each passing game, Shreyas Iyer keeps putting pressure on Suryakumar Kumar. A mainstay for Punjab Kings (PBKS) at number four, Shreyas has numbers that one can only dream of. Now, he doesn’t strike at 229.44, as Vaibhav Suryavanshi does in the Indian Premier League (IPL); he does average nearly 55 in the tournament while going at nearly 181.
His 3.0 version, the one we saw from 2025, has been quite something. While batting at numbers three and four, only Suryakumar has more runs than him in the IPL. Suryakumar averages more, by 1.83, but is behind by some distance when it comes to strike rate, by 14.25.
Shreyas Iyer’s Mullanpur mastercall
All in all, Shreyas has been the best middle-order batter in the league. Earlier today, he anchored PBKS’ 220-run chase against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mullanpur. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh’s half-centuries had put them in a great position, but it was Shreyas who ensured they didn’t wobble as Cooper Connolly and Nehal Wadhera both struggled.
His strike rate in his anchor innings was 209.09. Despite Abhishek Sharma and Arya scoring faster, Shreyas was named the player of the match. The surface was tough to bat on once the new ball got old. All SRH batters struggled post the powerplay. In fact, Shreyas was the only one who thrived from overs 7 to 20. His 69 off 33 was why PBKS chased the target down with 7 balls to spare.
Only MS Dhoni (x24), Gautam Gambhir (x14) and Virat Kohli (x14) have finished not out in more successful run chases as a captain in the IPL than Shreyas Iyer (11 times). #TATAIPL #PBKSvSRH
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 11, 2026It was a masterful innings. He knew the surface was aiding spinners. So, when he faced Shivang Kumar and Harsh Dubey, he didn’t go hard, scoring just 12 runs from 11 balls. But when he faced the fast bowlers, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, and Harshal Patel, he smashed 55 off 20.
Time to move on from Suryakumar Yadav?
This has once again started the conversation about why he isn’t in the Indian T20I team. Everyone knows Shreyas bats at Suryakumar’s spot. If he has to play, the captain must go. It’s tough to imagine how a T20 World Cup-winning skipper can be chucked away.
But Shreyas’ number justifies the tough decision. While Suryakumar has played loads of international cricket, which some will argue is tougher since you play away from India. However, Shreyas is so far ahead of Suryakumar in the format since 2025 that it seems cruel to keep benching him.
T20 stats at No. 3 & 4 since 2025
BatterInningsRunsAverageStrikeRate100s50sHighestScoreSuryakumarYadav55164638.27154.9901084*ShreyasIyer1971154.69180.910097*All of Shreyas’ innings have come in the IPL, since he couldn’t play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season due to injury. But the record speaks for itself. Suryakumar has a 40% average deficit and a 20% strike rate deficit.
The point made earlier about the level of international cricket being higher actually pushes Suryakumar even further. Since 2025, Suryakumar averages just 26 and strikes at 147.16 in T20Is. He’s been India’s worst batter in the 2024-26 T20 World Cup cycles. In fact, one can say Team India was carrying him.
But this cycle’s now over. And India has to start afresh. Given how Suryakumar is batting in IPL 2026, one can’t make a case for Shreyas not playing ahead of him. But the question now is, will the BCCI take the hard call to move on from India’s greatest-ever T20I batter?
Shreyas Iyer breathing down Suryakumar Yadav’s neck for India’s No. 4 spot with another IPL masterclass Inside Sport India.
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