Sanju Samson Favoured Over Shreyas Iyer to Replace Suryakumar Yadav as T20I Skipper

Team India’s T20I squad has seen remarkable success under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav in recent years. The talented cricketer has managed to collaborate with his teammates to deliver back-to-back successes at regional and international level in an impressive run.

However, leadership spells at national teams must pass on to other players after some time, and conversations regarding Yadav’s successor are already gaining attention. Yadav’s tenure as T20I skipper is set to end leading up to the 2026/27 season according to reports. Some analysts cite Yadav’s lukewarm form with the bat as a major reason behind his impending exit; however, others say this change is due to a BCCI-backed reshuffling of India’s on-pitch leadership.

Reliable sources reveal that several candidates like Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and others are in line to replace Yadav in some capacity when he steps down from his current role.  

Top 3 Candidates to Replace Yadav as T20I Captain

Sanju Samson

Star wicketkeeper Sanju Samson appears to be the frontrunner among leading candidates to take over from Suryakumar Yadav as T20I skipper. Samson has previous T20 leadership experience (ex-Rajasthan Royals captain) and is currently free from extra commitments at franchise and national team level. India’s cricket body looks set to hand Samson the T20I leadership role whenever Yadav officially steps down.

Shreyas Iyer

Iyer currently captains the Punjab Kings (PBKS) IPL T20 franchise, and is another top contender to take over India’s 20-over international leadership. Iyer has an impressive record in T20s as the first-ever IPL captain to lead three different franchises into finals. He is the national team’s current ODI vice-captain, as discussions continue towards picking Yadav’s full-time successor.

Shubman Gill

Some analysts believe the BCCI could hand captaincy responsibilities of all formats to Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill. The skilled player is already ODI and Test captain; however, handing all three formats to Gill as skipper could be seen as heaping too many responsibilities on one person. Gill is the least-likely among top contenders to become T20I skipper.

Suryakumar Yadav’s Record Since Becoming Full-Time T20 Captain

Yadav became India’s full-time T20I captain on July 18, 2024. The cricketer has been a part of 40+ matches since assuming the role in a run that has seen India overcome opposition from all over the world in style. Yadav has also been prolific with the bat on some occasions as team skipper; however, he has had at least half-a-dozen barren or low-scoring performances as T20I captain.