This decision follows the BCCI’s Apex Council meeting that took place on Thursday.
Interestingly, Shreyas was not part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup at home in March. In contrast, Suryakumar played a crucial role in leading the Men in Blue to become the only team to defend their title successfully after assuming captaincy post Rohit Sharma’s retirement in 2024.
Shreyas is set to embark on his T20I captaincy journey starting with the tour of Ireland later this month. Following that, the Men in Blue will venture to England for a five-match T20I series. Iyer will also serve as Shubman Gill’s deputy in the ODIs scheduled there, commencing July 14.
Iyer has featured in 51 T20Is for India, amassing 1104 runs with a batting average of 30.66 and a strike rate of 136.12, which includes eight half-centuries.
His impressive performance with PBKS over the past two years has earned him this significant leadership role for the national team.
In late-2025, Punjab made headlines by acquiring Iyer for ₹26.75 crore, making him the second-most expensive player in IPL history.
Since then, he has built a strong partnership with Ricky Ponting, who has been guiding the franchise.
In their first season together, the duo led PBKS to the IPL finals, where they fell just short against RCB.
This marked only the second occasion Punjab reached the finals of the tournament. In 2026, PBKS started the season strong, topping the points table after winning their first seven matches. However, six consecutive losses caused them to fall out of contention for the top-four, but this did not dissuade national selectors from assigning Iyer this vital responsibility.
First Published: Jun 5, 2026 12:08 AM IST
