Shreyas Iyer appointed as team India’s new captain for the tours of Ireland and England: India have entered a new era in T20I cricket. It is a huge overhaul as Suryakumar Yadav who led India to the T20 World Cup crown earlier this year, was not even included in the squad.
Selectors also appointed Tilak Varma as vice-captain in place of Axar Patel. The decision is in line with India’s planning well in advance for mega events like the 2028 T20 World Cup and Los Angeles Olympics.
Of the several talking points from the squad announcement, probably no name stood out than that of batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who at just 15 solved many selection headaches trying to live up to expectations. The young sensation has got his maiden senior national call-up after an incredible IPL 2026 season, averaging 776 runs with a strike rate of 237.30. Should he also make his debut on the tour, he will be the youngest player to represent India’s men’s team at international level.
Sooryavanshi, is not the only one who has been picked while Nitish Kumar Reddy,Ravi Bishnoi and Prince Yadav as well. Senior stars like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah missed out as they have been rested, while Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav just were not able to find a spot.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that in the absence of Rohit, Iyer stood out having led the side very well even in some tough situations. The 31-year-old has been successful while leading numerous IPL franchises in the past, steering Kolkata Knight Riders to the title of 2024 and also DC & Punjab Kings have made it to an IPL final under his captaincy. He also has an impressive batting record recently, making him a viable candidate to captain India’s next T20 cycle.
After a bad run with the bat, Suryakumar was dropped from the test squad. Although he was crucial in helping India win the World Cup, elusive returns from him in both the 2026 T20 World Cup and IPL have presented selectors with an opportunity to look toward younger horizons.
India opens the tour with a pair of T20Is against Ireland in Belfast on June 26 and 28, after which it heads to England for a five-game T20I series from July 1 to July 11. The announcement of the squad suggests that India are looking at putting together a new team with and for the future.
India T20I squad for Ireland and England
Shreyas Iyer (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-capt), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi