Former India player Aakash Chopra has said that Tilak Varma could be appointed captain of an IPL franchise before the 2027 season as well. His comments came after the 23-year-old was named India’s vice-captain for the T20Is, while Shreyas Iyer was appointed captain ahead of the two-match series against Ireland, scheduled to begin on June 26 as well.

Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel (Aakash Chopra) on June 6, he said: “Tilak Varma is the new vice-captain. A lot of people were making fun earlier, saying things like, ‘Is Tilak Varma even a player? How will he become an IPL captain?’ But he is the vice-captain of India at the moment, and don’t be surprised if he is appointed captain of an IPL team before next season itself. Otherwise, it will definitely happen the year after. There is a good possibility.”

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

However, Aakash Chopra also spoke about Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded IPL 2026 with 28 scalps in 16 matches as well.

He said: “Bhuvneshwar’s name didn’t come up, man. We forgot about him. We were talking about him because of his wickets, two good consecutive seasons, almost the Purple Cap this year. But Bhuvneshwar’s name didn’t come up, which means he is not going to be considered.”