BCCI can opt for this option to make Shreyas Iyer the new T20I captain for India

2 hours ago 11

No other cricketing board has the luxury of choosing players from an incredible bunch of options like the BCCI. Time and again, youngsters lunch above their weight and showcase their prowess in the toughest tournament that is the Indian Premier League (IPL). Take into account Shreyas Iyer’s case, who wasn’t part of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 team, despite being one of India’s best middle-order batters for some time now. But the BCCI might have an exciting option now.

Two Indian teams at same time?

As per a BCCI source, the BCCI might be looking at a split squad strategy to make India dominate across the globe. With the huge success of IPL 2026 and numerous players screaming down selectors’ necks, the BCCI has reportedly finalised a 30-35 pool which will be divided into two teams. Both teams will play at the same time, with Shreyas Iyer captaining one of those sides.

Team India have a jam-packed calendar post-IPL 2026. After hosting Afghanistan for a multi-format series, India have a full-fledged UK tour, where they play against Ireland and England. Against Ireland, the BCCI plans to make Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the youngest debutant ever as well. Meanwhile, away Tests against Sri Lanka also squeeze in before a short tour of Zimbabwe also comes into picture.

However, everything will enter into a crescendo when India will most likely be having two matches on the same day. For those unaware, this year, Japan will host the Asian Games from September 17 to October 3, 2026. Meanwhile, the West Indies are also slated to tour India for five T20Is and 3 ODIs at the very same time. That could be the moment where you can see Team India featured twice on the same day, with different squads altogether.

Most successful captains in IPL since 2020 ft. Shreyas Iyer

CaptainTeamsMatchesWonLostTiedNRW/LRPO

Shreyas Iyer	3	69	40	25	1	3	1.60	9.43
Hardik Pandya	2	64	36	28	0	0	1.28	9.33
Sanju Samson	1	67	33	32	1	1	1.03	8.86
MS Dhoni	1	61	32	28	0	1	1.14	8.70
Rishabh Pant	2	63	31	31	1	0	1.00	9.09

Having a leader like Shreyas Iyer would help, as he is touted to take reins from Suryakumar Yadav, whose career is at risk despite taking India to the T20 World Cup 2026 win. Iyer has been the best IPL captain since 2020, having the best W/L ratio (1.6), while taking three franchises to an IPL final. He won the silverware with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024 as well.

A BCCI official told NDTV, “The Asian Games and India vs West Indies T20 Series are going to be at the same time. So we have to look at two T20 teams playing. It is important from now to have a pool of 30-35 cricketers who can be called up for International assignments. For the upcoming Ireland tour, like most tours to UK, a bigger pool of players will be kept in the squad. This will extend for the Asian Games.”