India’s T20I setup has entered a fresh phase, with Shreyas Iyer officially taking over as captain after Suryakumar Yadav was left out of the squad for the upcoming Ireland and England tours. The selection marks a clear shift in India’s white-ball planning as the team begins building toward the 2028 T20 World Cup and the Los Angeles Olympics.
The squad announcement also delivered one of the biggest talking points of the year: a maiden India call-up for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Rajasthan Royals sensation, who lit up IPL 2026 with a record-breaking season, has earned a place in the national setup after scoring 776 runs at a blistering strike rate of 237.30. His inclusion underlines the selectors’ intent to invest early in special talent.
Along with Shreyas and Sooryavanshi, India has named Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravi Bishnoi and Prince Yadav in the squad. At the same time, Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav have missed out on the T20 World Cup-winning group, while Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested for the tour.
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Suryakumar’s exit comes after a mixed run in the format despite leading India to a successful T20 World Cup title defence in March 2026. The 35-year-old struggled for consistency during the tournament, finishing with 242 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 136.72. His struggles continued in IPL 2026, where he managed only 270 runs in 13 innings at an average of 20.76 and a strike rate of 147.54. With the next T20 World Cup still two years away, selectors have opted to look ahead rather than wait for a revival.
Presenting #TeamIndia‘s T20I squads for the tours of England & Ireland 2026 🇮🇳#ENGvIND | #IREvIND pic.twitter.com/f84kSSAIDf
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2026
Shreyas, meanwhile, has forced his way back into the spotlight through consistency and leadership. The 31-year-old has not featured in a T20I since December 2023, largely because India had no room for him in a crowded middle order. But his recent performances and captaincy record have made him the obvious choice. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title and also guided Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to finals in 2020 and 2025. In the last two IPL seasons, he scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07 and 498 runs at 168.81.
Sooryavanshi’s rise has been just as remarkable. He is now the youngest player picked in an India men’s squad since Sachin Tendulkar in the late 1980s. Before joining the senior T20I tour, he will represent India A in the tri-series in Sri Lanka from June 9 to 21, alongside Afghanistan.
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India’s T20I series begins in Ireland with two matches in Belfast on June 26 and 28, before the team travels to England for a five-match series from July 1 to 11.
India T20I squad for Ireland and England: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav
