Iyer named India's T20I captain for England, Ireland tours, Suryakumar misses out; BCCI hands maiden call-up to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Mumbai, June 6
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Saturday announced India's T20I squads for the upcoming tours of England and Ireland in 2026, with Shreyas Iyer appointed as captain and Tilak Varma named vice-captain for the series.
India's 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain, Suryakumar Yadav, suffered a major setback after failing to secure a place in the squad for the upcoming T20I tours of England and Ireland.
India's young batting sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who concluded the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 as the highest run-scorer with 776 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 237.30, has got his maiden Indian call-up, while speedster Prince Yadav has also secured a place in the squad.
India's top order consists of a pack and explosive batting line-up featuring Abhishek Sharma, Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan; the middle order includes Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and big hitter Shivam Dube.
Apart from Sundar, India has opted for three more spinners, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi, while the pace unit includes Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.
Meanwhile, ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the T20I tours of Ireland and England. Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav were left out of the squad that won the T20 World Cup.
India plays Ireland in two T20Is in Belfast on June 26 and 28, followed by five T20Is in England from July 1 to 11.
India squad for England tour 2026: Shreyas Iyer -captain, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma - vice captain, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prince Yadav, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India squad for Ireland tour 2026: Shreyas Iyer - captain, Tilak Varma - vice captain, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Please tell me why they rested Bumrah??? We're playing in England, it swings like crazy there, and our best bowler is at home? And Kuldeep and Rinku dropped after they made significant contributions to the World Cup win. BCCI selection logic is baffling sometimes.
Loving the spin department - Sundar, Axar, Varun, Bishnoi! This is a team built for all conditions. Iyer's leadership will be key. But honestly, sad for Suryakumar Yadav - he's been our Mr. Consistent and a World Cup-winning captain. Hope this is just a temporary phase and he bounces back stronger! 🇮🇳🏏
No way! Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is just 19 and already in the national squad? His uncle in Vadodara must be throwing a party, but let's be real - domestic consistency matters more than one IPL season. I hope he's not another flash in the pan like some previous IPL sensations. Give him proper time to develop. 🤔
Actually excited to see what Prince Yadav can do! He's been clocking 150+ in domestics and IPL. And Tilak Varma as vice-captain? Perfect grooming for future leadership. This squad has pace, spin, depth batting - looks very balanced. Let's hope they bring the same intensity that Surya's team showed in the World Cup. Vaibhav starting ahead of Samson? That'll be interesting... 👀
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