Suryakumar Yadav Likely to Step Down as T20 Captain Amid Performance Concerns

Leadership Changes in Indian T20 Team

Suryakumar Yadav is anticipated to be relieved of his duties as captain of the Indian T20 team, with the influential Apex Council possibly being informed of this decision prior to the selection of the squad for the upcoming UK tour.

Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma have emerged as the leading candidates to take over the captaincy from Surya.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is expected to update the Apex Council on whether the national selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir are aligned regarding Surya's potential removal.

It appears that if Surya is indeed stripped of the captaincy, he may also be excluded from the team, especially after a prolonged period of underwhelming performance spanning nearly 18 months.

"Surya is on the verge of losing the captaincy. The selectors had hoped to see him regain form by the end of the IPL, but his current performance has raised concerns. A difficult decision is imminent," a BCCI source revealed.

"The selectors are likely to exclude him from the extended list, indicating that Surya is no longer part of their plans.

"Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma are in contention to become the next T20 captain."

However, selecting a new captain is not a simple task.

As reported previously, there are several options available. With Surya's potential exclusion, Shreyas, who has previously led an IPL-winning team, seems to be a strong candidate.

Nonetheless, Tilak could be a surprising choice, as many within the selection committee believe he is well-suited for the role given his youth.

"Tilak has been appointed captain for the A series in Sri Lanka to evaluate his leadership skills."

It is noted that Gambhir has some reservations about Shreyas, who captained KKR in 2024 while Gambhir served as a mentor.

During that time, Shreyas expressed feelings of being undervalued, which did not go unnoticed.

Gambhir reportedly favors Sanju Samson, who excelled during the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup, but the selectors remain skeptical about the long-term consistency of either him or Ishan Kishan.