India announced its T20I squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England on Saturday, with Shreyas Iyer appointed captain and Suryakumar Yadav removed from the setup.
The announcement came after a press conference at BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, where Selection Committee Chairperson Ajit Agarkar and Honorary Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the squad. India will play two T20Is in Belfast against Ireland on June 26 and 28, followed by a five-match series against England starting July 1 in Durham.
Shreyas Iyer’s appointment marked a significant leadership change. He has built a reputation as a proven captain, guiding Delhi Capitals to the IPL 2020 final, Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2024 title, and Punjab Kings to the 2025 final. His IPL 2026 campaign further strengthened his case, scoring 498 runs at an average of 45.27 with five half-centuries and a century.
The decision came at the expense of Suryakumar Yadav, who led India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title but struggled with form and fitness. The BCCI informed him of his removal before the announcement.
The other headline was the inclusion of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who earned his maiden senior call-up after a record-breaking IPL 2026 season. He scored 776 runs, smashed 72 sixes, and maintained a strike rate above 237, winning the Orange Cap. His selection adds youthful firepower to India’s batting lineup.
The squad includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Jasprit Bumrah has been excluded from these series but will feature in the Asian Games 2026 squad.
