Shreyas Iyer is set to be India’s new T20 captain with Tilak Varma as his deputy. The duo will command the team starting with the series in Ireland and England, starting later this month.

A formal announcement will be made on Saturday following the selection committee’s meeting in Mumbai.

The Ajit Agarkar-led panel decided on Wednesday to remove World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav following his prolonged run of poor scores spanning over almost two years.

It is understood that head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted Sanju Samson in the hot seat but chief selector Agarkar and the BCCI preferred Shreyas because of his proven track record as a leader and highly successful stints in the IPL.

However, a consensus was reached on Shreyas, keeping in view the long-term need for a stable and strategic leader. Gambhir has informed the BCCI and the selectors that he has no qualms about working with Shreyas and Tilak, sources told The Telegraph.

As mentor, Gambhir had joined forces with Shreyas during their successful stint at Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. Gambhir’s aggressive tactical blueprints and Shreyas’ on-field calm demeanour helped the franchise encourage a fearless dressing room environment.

Since moving to Punjab Kings, Shreyas worked with head coach Ricky Ponting and displayed calm on-field execution of game plans alongside inspirational presence. He scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07 in IPL 2025 and 498 runs at a strike rate of 168.81 in the just-concluded season.

Shreyas will return to the T20I side after December 2023 and is expected to take Surya’s No.4 position in the batting order.

Surprisingly, there was no discussion on Rajat Patidar, who has led RCB to two successive IPL titles.

There is also talk that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the T20I side is a formality now after the team management is learnt to have backed the wonder kid. He will also be a part of the India A side for the tri-series in Sri Lanka under Tilak’s captaincy before the Ireland and England tours.

Apex council

The BCCI apex council deliberated on formulating a retirement policy for Indian players at its meeting on Thursday. The issue came into prominence after some players called it quits to try their luck in overseas leagues. Vijay Shankar is the latest.

The Board is also contemplating a five-year cooling off period for the cricketers
wanting to return to the domestic fold after playing overseas leagues.