Shreyas Iyer Named India’s New T20I Captain as BCCI Announces Multiple Squads Ahead of Busy International Season. Shreyas Iyer becomes the captain for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England. He will also lead India in the 2026 Asian Games. The BCCI has appointed Tilak Varma to serve as vice-captain for both series. With this appointment, the selectors have begun a new pathway for the future of T20 cricket in India as they focus on building a roster for the 2028 Olympics and for the next ICC T20 World Cup.
The selection committee picked younger players for both the Ireland and England series. Young players such as Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (15 years, 3 months) are all members of the team. Most notably, Vaibhav Suryavanshi will become the youngest player in history.
Both series also include veterans like Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, and Varun Chakravarthy. Even though Suryakumar Yadav led the Indian team to the T20 World Cup title, he was left off the roster, reportedly due to having experienced a decline in his performance.
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India T20I Squad for Ireland and England
Captain: Shreyas Iyer
Vice-Captain: Tilak Varma
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prince Yadav.
Separate Squad Named for Asian Games 2026
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has amended its team for the Asian Games. Jasprit Bumrah has been added to the group, but both Mohammed Siraj and Prince Yadav are out of the squad, as announced by the BCCI.
India Squad for Asian Games 2026: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
The BCCI selected Iyer based on an outstanding IPL 2026 season with the Punjab Kings, as demonstrated by his reliable batting and leadership abilities. India will tour Ireland at the end of June and then play a five-match T20I series in England, with the Asian Games late this year.
India A Squad Announced for Sri Lanka A Tests
The BCCI has also provided a 15-member India A squad for two unofficial Tests vs Sri Lanka A in Galle on 25 June and 2 July, with Dhruv Jurel as captain and Devdutt Padikkal as vice-captain. The squad is a mix of established players and promising young players from domestic cricket.
India A Squad: Dhruv Jurel (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Pandey, Harsh Dubey, Saransh Jain, Gurnoor Brar, Aqib Nabi, Yash Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, N Jagadeesan (wk), Aman Mokhade, Shaik Rasheed and Zeeshan Ansari.
Beginning on June 9th and continuing until June 21st, India A will visit Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A for a three-day international series in Dambulla. This experience should prepare them for India’s concurrent tour of Sri Lanka for senior Test matches in 2026.
Kohli ruled out of Afghanistan ODI series
As a result of sustaining a hamstring injury, Virat Kohli has been withdrawn from the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan scheduled for June 13 here in Dharamsala. His replacement will be Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had an outstanding 2026 IPL season. During this season, Jaiswal amassed 427 runs at a strike rate above 150. Also, he registered his first ODI century during his most recent appearance against South Africa.
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Shubman Gill will captain the ODI team, while Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya are also potentially available depending on medical clearance. India’s national selectors appear to be putting faith in the younger generation, with their selection process continuing to offer further opportunities throughout all formats of play.