Shreyas Iyer is one of the main contenders to become India's next T20I captain, according to former Australian skipper and current Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting. Speaking to the Press Trust of India (PTI) on May 20, 2026, Ponting strongly backed the middle-order batter's return to the national setup, emphasizing that Iyer has reached a mature "sweet spot" in his career. Ponting highlighted that Iyer is a "chilled out guy" who stays unbothered by personal limelight. His calm demeanor under high-stakes T20 pressure is exactly what a transitional Indian side requires. Ponting acknowledged the intense depth in Indian cricket by stating, "The thing about Indian cricket is that you don't just walk back into teams. You've got to put a lot of runs on the board and do it in a certain way.”

He reiterated his long-standing view that he is always surprised whenever Iyer is left out of India's squad, praising his overall maturity and leadership skills. Amidst discussions surrounding India's future T20I leadership cycle, Ponting asserted that Iyer's excellent handling of the Punjab Kings in IPL 2026 keeps his name heavy in selector conversations, not just for a side comeback, but with the captaincy tag next to it. Despite the heavy backing, Iyer’s path back to the Indian T20I side faces structural challenges. He has not played a T20I for India since December 2023. “I think he’s a much more mature player than he’s probably ever been in his whole career. I think he’s completely on top of his game now. He’s probably a good example of what I was talking about earlier; it’s really hard to maintain a high level of consistency through 14 games of cricket. There are going to be times when you have your ups and downs as an individual and as a team”, the head coach stated.

Ricky Ponting questions Shreyas Iyer’s omission from India’s T20 squads, remarks “I am always surprised”

Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting has firmly backed Shreyas Iyer as a top contender for India's future T20I captaincy, questioning why the prolific batsman is routinely overlooked by national selectors. Speaking to the PTI News Agency, Ponting expressed his absolute disbelief, stating, "Whenever India selects a team and Shreyas is not in it, I’m always very surprised." Ponting declared Iyer as a prime candidate to lead India in T20Is. The endorsement arrives amid intense scrutiny over incumbent captain Suryakumar Yadav's current dip in form. Ponting emphasized that the 30-year-old middle-order batsman is at the absolute "sweet spot" of his life and career, displaying unmatched leadership maturity.

The former Australian World Cup-winning captain reiterated that he has been vocal for a long time about Iyer's unfair omissions from the white-ball setups despite consistently strong domestic and IPL track records. Ponting pointed out that other players have broken into the Indian national setup strictly on the back of good first-class cricket and impressive IPL seasons. He argued that Iyer has accomplished the exact same benchmarks, yet continues to be treated with a different yardstick. T20 teams typically avoid bowling heavy spin against India, but subcontinental slow wickets always present a challenge. Ponting noted that Iyer is "as good as anyone" globally at dismantling spinners on slow, low turning pitches, making his tactical exclusion a missed asset for India.

"I’ve been pretty vocal over the last couple of years that whenever India selects a team, and Shreyas’ not in it, I’m always very surprised. On the back of this IPL, I’m sure he’s one name the selectors will talk about, not just to get back into the side, but also with the captaincy next to his name.”