Suryakumar Yadav’s T20 captaincy is in danger, this big decision of BCCI gave a hint, the search for a new captain intensified.

By Samira Vishwas On May 31, 2026

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is once again preparing to make a major reshuffle in the leadership of Team India, keeping in mind the upcoming T20 series and future big tournaments. Clouds of danger are now looming over the captaincy of the ace batsman Suryakumar Yadav (SKY), who made India win the T20 World Cup title under his captaincy in March 2026. A surprising decision taken recently by the BCCI has given further fuel to the speculations that the board has now started searching for a new and long-term captain for the T20 format.

Surya’s name missing from the probable list of Asian Games

This whole controversy and change started when BCCI sent a tentative list of 30 players to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the ‘Asian Games 2026’. This list includes the names of many senior and experienced players like Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson, but the name of current T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is completely missing from this list. This move of the board is being considered as a clear indication from the selectors that they are now thinking ahead of Suryakumar.

Real reason for captaincy crisis: poor form with the bat

Even though Suryakumar Yadav’s winning percentage as a captain has been better (76.92%) than legends like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli, but his personal performance in recent times has been very disappointing. Surya has been out of form in international cricket for quite some time now, and his bat remained completely silent in IPL 2026 too. He has scored runs at an average of less than 18 in this season of IPL. The selectors believe that it would not be right to hand over the command of the team to a player who is struggling to make a place in the team as a pure batsman.

Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer lead the race

According to BCCI sources, the selectors can take a final decision on the future of Suryakumar Yadav in the meeting to be held next week. In this meeting, the team will be selected for the tour of Ireland and England to be held in June-July. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar are considering options for the new captain. At present two names are leading in the race for captaincy:

Sanju Samson: Sanju Samson, who has been a brilliant captain for Rajasthan Royals for a long time, has emerged as the strongest contender in this race. He also continues to be a part of the T20 team.
Shreyas Iyer: The name of Shreyas Iyer, who took Punjab Kings to new heights under his captaincy, is also being seriously considered. He has vast leadership experience in IPL and domestic cricket.
Akshar Patel and Tilak Verma: Vice-captain Akshar Patel is being seen as a short-term option, while Tilak Verma’s name is also being discussed for the future.

Coach Gautam Gambhir’s decision will be final and supreme.

The selection committee may be in favor of removing Suryakumar Yadav from the captaincy and even dropping him from the playing eleven, but the final decision will depend on the input of head coach Gautam Gambhir. The relationship between Gambhir and Suryakumar is considered very strong. In such a situation, if coach Gambhir advocates for giving ‘Sky’ one more series chance to regain his form, then the board can postpone the decision of change in captaincy for some time.