Team India: Haven’t played any match for two years, now can become the new captain of India in T20! Who is this player?

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that if Shreyas Iyer performs well for Punjab Kings while captaining him in IPL 2026, he is likely to become the next Indian T20I captain.

Shreyas Iyer can be the next captain

Let us tell you that Iyer was not even a part of the recently crowned T20 World Champion Team India. Shreyas Iyer, on whom Aakash Chopra is betting for the captaincy, last played a T20 International match for India in 2023. He has been a regular part of the ODI team for the last 3-4 years, but has got very little opportunity to play for India in the shortest format of cricket.

What did Aakash Chopra say?

31-year-old Iyer has played 51 T20Is for India so far and has scored 1104 runs at an average of 30.66 and strike rate of 136.12. The big question is why does former cricketer Aakash Chopra want to bet on Shreyas Iyer as captain? He said on his YouTube channel that Shreyas Iyer, I thought that he would definitely come in the T20 World Cup team, but it did not happen.

Shreyas Iyer’s excellent record in IPL captaincy

I think there may be a vacancy in the middle order. So can Shreyas Iyer come there? If he once again presents his claim for captaincy, then perhaps he can become India’s next T20 captain. Why not? Shreyas Iyer may not be making a place in Team India in T20I, but his record as captain in IPL has been excellent.

Under the captaincy of Iyer, Delhi Capitals reached the final. Then in 2024, Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders and this team became champion. In 2025, he became the captain of Punjab Kings and reached the finals. In IPL 2025, Punjab Kings registered 9 wins in 14 matches and faced 4 losses. PBKS was at the first position on the points table.