New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will hold its Apex Council Committee meeting in online mode on Thursday, though it remains unclear if the issue of India’s next men’s T20I captain will be formally discussed.
“Yes, the BCCI will have an Apex Council Committee meeting in online mode on Thursday. But a possibility of officials discussing India’s next men’s T20I captain is yet to be known,” sources told IANS on Wednesday.
Speculation has grown over the future of India’s men’s T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup triumph in March was achieved under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership. It is understood that eyes are on planning for the next two years, where India will enter the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup as defending champions and feature in the Los Angeles Olympics too.
While some believe Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer, the current ODI vice-captain, are in the running to succeed Suryakumar, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, and Ishan Kishan are the dark horses for clinching the leadership role.
Suryakumar’s prolonged lean patch has also been a point of concern, something which can’t be ignored for long by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee and Gautam Gambhir-led team management.
The right-handed batter managed only 270 runs in 13 innings for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026, while averaging 20.76, as the five-time champions finished at ninth spot on the points table. He also struggled with the bat during the victorious T20 World Cup campaign and didn’t get a good score in a recent game for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East in the ongoing Mumbai T20 League.
Suryakumar was handed India men’s T20I captaincy after veteran right-handed opener Rohit Sharma retired from the format post the T20 World Cup win in the West Indies in 2024.
India’s next T20I assignment is a two-game tour of Ireland, to be played on June 26 and 28. It is understood that the squad selection for the same can happen sometime in mid-June. After this, India will play a five-match T20I series in England, before going on a three-game tour of Zimbabwe.
(IANS)
