India’s T20I squad for the series against Ireland and England, the Asian Games 2026 was announced on Saturday, with Shreyas Iyer being named the new captain. Despite leading India to their second T20 World Cup title earlier this year, Suryakumar Yadav has not only been stripped off captaincy but has also been dropped from the T20I setup. The selectors have decided to take a fresh approach to prepare for the next T20 World Cup and the LA28 Olympics, and therefore have taken several key decisions, including handing 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his maiden Team India call-up.
Shreyas Iyer era begins
Over the past week, reports did rounds of Iyer not only returning to the T20I setup but also taking over the reins of the team. The middle-order batter’s exile finally comes to an end, having last played a T20I way back in 2023. Consistent performances in domestic cricket and in the IPL, apart from his leadership ability paved way for his ascension to the top. Despite not being a part of the T20 WC 2026 squad, Iyer managed to score 498 runs from 14 matches in IPL 2026, marking his second best IPL season.
As a captain, Iyer has been outstanding over the last three IPL seasons, having guided KKR to their third title in 2024, taking PBKS to the final in 2025 followed by another good season for the Kings in 2026. Now, with the change of guard from SKY to Iyer, there has also been a change in vice-captaincy. Tilak Varma replaces Axar Patel as the new T20I vice-captain, marking a new era for Team India in the shortest format of the game.
Image Credit: AAP Image/Matt Turner via AlamyVaibhav Sooryavanshi fast-tracked
The 15-year-old, who has witnessed a meteoric rise over the last couple of years, emerged as the Orange Cap winner 776 runs in IPL 2026. He also surpassed Chris Gaye’s record for scoring the most sixes in an IPL season. He played a key role in India’s triumph in the U19 World Cup, having slammed a century in the final. After a phenomenal year of blasting sixes and amassing runs, a call-up to the Indian T20I side wasn’t far away. He is now the youngest player to receive an Indian call-up and could very soon become the youngest player to make his debut for the country too.
Now, the question that arises is if Sooryavanshi will enter the playing XI promptly or if India will shuffle around their openers. Both regular T20I openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have been named in the side. While Samson emerged as the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup with his heroics in the knockout stage, Abhishek didn’t have a good run. Therefore, it remains to be seen which of the two will be dropped to accommodate Vaibhav in the line-up.
No Hardik Pandya
The selectors have seemingly decided to move on from Hardik Pandya in the shortest format of the game as he hasn’t been named in either of the squads for IRE, ENG and the Asian Games 2026. The veteran, who was once the Indian T20I captain before he was replaced by SKY, has suffered multiple injuries over the last two years and has been in and out of the team. Although he was a part of the T20 World Cup squad, it looks like the selectors want Pandya to focus more on ODIs, with the World Cup coming up next year.
Besides, Hardik recently picked up a back injury during IPL 2026 that saw him miss a few matches. He only recently received clearance from the BCCI’s CoE to take part in the IND vs AFG ODIs after proving his fitness.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool via AlamyPrince Yadav in, no return for Bhuvi
After a phenomenal performance for LSG in IPL 2026 where he picked up 16 wickets in 14 matches, Prince Yadav has now made his way into the Indian T20I setup and is here to stay. The 24-year-old will partner with veteran Mohammed Siraj, India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is Arshdeep Singh to comprise of the pace attack. Another important point to be noted from the squad announcement is Jasprit Bumrah’s exclusion from the series against Ireland and England.
The premium pacer has been rested for the two series, but will return to the side for the Asian Games 2026. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that this was a part of Bumrah’s workload management.
Despite performing exceptionally well and grabbing eyeballs in IPL 2026, the doors on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to the national side remains firmly shut. The 36-year-old pacer last featured in a T20I back in 2022 and since then has been out of the favour of the selectors. However, with a phenomenal show in IPL 2026 where he turned the clock back to bowl at his lethal best with the new-ball, he might forced the selectors to consider him once again. Clinching 28 wickets from 16 matches, Bhuvi created history by becoming the Indian pacer to take most wickets in an IPL season.
Takeaways from India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer era begins, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fast-tracked Inside Sport India.
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