Surya Kumar Yadav’s lack of form in the IPL 2026 and the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign has brought his captaincy under scrutiny. He has managed only 195 runs in 10 innings, averaging 19 runs per match in IPL 2026. In the T20 World Cup too, he had only one good innings against the USA and had a rather dry patch, although Team India won their third T20 World Cup trophy under his captaincy. All these factors have led the BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, to consider a captaincy change for the Indian Cricket Team in T20Is.
According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Sanju Samson is the front-runner to become India’s next T20I captain. The change in the setup might happen in the upcoming Ireland and England series. Ever since rumours of a captaincy change surfaced, a few names, like Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer, also came up. Still, the reports are strong for Samson, given his current T20I form and his ability to stay calm in dire situations. Samson might be the vice captain first in the series, later transitioning into the Captain of the team, according to reports.
According to a report in Dainik Jagran, Sanju Samson, the T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament, is the frontrunner to become India's next captain and the change of guard might just happen in the next series against Ireland and England. However, the report also states that… pic.twitter.com/TjsjkUPZwI
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) May 9, 2026
Why Sanju Samson and not Shreyas Iyer?
According to reports, the selection committee feels that Shreyas Iyer has been out of India’s T20 setup since December 2023. On the other hand, Sanju Samson has been playing for T20Is since 2024 and is currently in his best form. Samson was the best performer during India’s 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 321 runs and becoming the Player of the Tournament. His transition to the CSK in IPL 2026 has only favoured him in this case, with Samson already crossing the 400-run mark, including two massive centuries.
BCCI wants Shreyas Iyer to first earn his place in the T20I setup, and if Sanju Samson’s form dips, then Shreyas Iyer easily becomes the next candidate to be on the list. Currently, BCCI plans on Samson not only for his form but also for his ability to handle pressure situations and stay calm. Shreyas Iyer has a strong portfolio as a T20 captain, making KKR win the IPL in 2024 and also taking Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to the finals.
Sanju Samson also has T20 captaincy experience as he has earlier captained the Rajasthan Royals in IPL.
