Top 3 Replacements Of Suryakumar Yadav As India's T20I Captain

Team India is all set to go for a massive change in its T20I leadership. According to TOI, Suryakumar Yadav, India's current T20I captain, is all set to be removed from the role after a string of low scores over the last few months.

With Suryakumar likely to be sacked, the selectors will be required to pick a new captain of the team in the shortest format. There are plenty of options who seem capable to lead the team and choosing one out of them will be a tough ask.

Who Will Be India Captain After Suryakumar Yadav?

Replacing Suryakumar Yadav as India next T20 captain won't be easy as he recently led the team to the ICC T20 World Cup title. The team looks settled under his leadership and the upcoming captain will be expectedt to carry the good work forward.

There are three top contenders who look quite settled for this role. The BCCI will look at their past performances and leadership qualities to pick a suitable candidate for this role. Here are the top 3 replacements of Suryakumar Yadav as India's next T20 captain:

1. Shreyas Iyer

Middle order batter Shreyas Iyer is probably the frontrunner to lead Team India in the shortest format. The right-hander has been in superb form in IPL 2026 with the bat and his captaincy has also been impressive while playing for Punjab Kings.

Iyer has led his team to three IPL finals, in which he won the title in 2024 when he was leading Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite being one of the best T20 batsmen, Iyer is currently out of the team due to plenty of options in the batting order. If he becomes the captain, he will become a permanent fixture in this team.

2. Hardik Pandya

Another name that is emerging as India captain after Suryakumar Yadav is Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder might not be in great form in the ongoing season of Indian Premier League, but is a key part of India's white-ball teams due to his skills. He is currently the Mumbai Indians captain in the IPL.

Pandya has performed for India in big matches, which shows that he performs well under pressure. The best all-rounder in the world could have become India's next T20 captain after Rohit Sharma, but constant injury concerns didn't allow him to take that role. However, reports suggest that he can finally lead India's T20I team now.

3. Axar Patel

Axar Patel has been a vital player for Team India in the white-ball formats over the last few years. The left-hander has performed well with both bat and ball, and also lends the balance with his all-round skills.

He was India's vice-captain in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and could be Suryakumar Yadav replacement as captain now. Axar is currently leading Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. He also has the experience of leading his domestic team Gujarat.