The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially named Shreyas Iyer as India's new T20I captain. He takes over from Suryakumar Yadav, who has been completely dropped from the 16-man squad. Iyer believes in aggressive, authentic leadership. In his first press remarks, he shared his exact mental approach to this massive job. Iyer noted that he will not try to copy past captains like MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma. He wants to lead in his own style. He attributes his tough mental attitude to his days playing local cricket in Mumbai, where the competition is fierce. He stated that he loves responsibility and intends to push the team to play fun, high-level, winning cricket.

“Even when I've got this job right now as captain, it's a great challenge. At the same time, I don't have to change my personality. I have to be the same person how I was before and not try to be someone else or be under someone's shadow," he added. Though Iyer has not played a T20I for India since December 2023, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the BCCI picked him for three big reasons. Iyer is the only captain in IPL history to lead three different teams to a final. He won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders (2024), and reached finals with Delhi Capitals (2020) and Punjab Kings (2025). During the 2026 IPL season with Punjab Kings, Iyer smashed 498 runs and even scored his maiden IPL century. Iyer shares a great working relationship with India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir. They previously worked together to win the IPL trophy for KKR.

Tilak Varma named as Vice Captain for T20I team for India

Tilak Varma has officially been named the new vice-captain of the Indian Men's T20I cricket team.The BCCI Men's Selection Committee appointed the 23-year-old left-handed batter as the official deputy to new skipper Shreyas Iyer. He replaces all-rounder Axar Patel in the leadership role for the upcoming T20I tours of Ireland and England. At just 23 years old, the stylish left-handed batter is being handed significant responsibility by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir. This move comes as India resets its short-format strategy following the decision to phase out Suryakumar Yadav.

Proving how much faith the board has in him, Varma has simultaneously been appointed captain of the India A squad for their multi-day assignment in Sri Lanka.

Varma provides stability to India's middle order. He is famous for his ability to both keep a cool head during a batting collapse and blast massive sixes in the final overs. Aside from his batting, Varma bowls a very useful right-arm off-spin. Gambhir loves multi-talented cricketers who give the team flexible bowling options. He is considered one of the fastest and sharpest fielders in the current Indian setup, which fits perfectly into India's new "fearless and aggressive" brand of T20 cricket.