Shreyas named new T20I captain; Sooryavanshi handed maiden call-up

Shreyas Iyer has made a grand return to the Indian T20I squad as the new skipper. Announcing the squads for the tours of Ireland and England, selectors also confirmed the inclusion of teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain. The squads also see the return of Harshit Rana.

Iyer was the favourite to take over from Suryakumar Yadav after the decision was made to move on from India's T20 World Cup-winning skipper due to poor form. Suryakumar struggled with the bat for India and his IPL 2026 returns were underwhelming.

Squads for Ireland and England series: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), 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

Iyer's most recent T20I appearance came in December 2023, but his stocks have risen since. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title in 2024 and then Punjab Kings to a final in 2025. He made over 600 runs in IPL 2025 and followed with 498 runs in the recently-concluded season, including his maiden ton.

Sooryavanshi's meteoric rise over the last 12 months has earned him a spot at just 15 years old. In IPL 2026, he scored 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.31, with a tournament record 72 sixes, winning the Orange cap, Emerging Player award, and MVP award.

Harshit Rana returns after a knee strain before the 2026 T20 World Cup led to surgery and prolonged absence. Ravi Bishnoi has been chosen over Kuldeep Yadav. Rinku Singh has been displaced by Sooryavanshi. Jasprit Bumrah is rested, with Prince Yadav replacing him. Hardik Pandya, recovering from injury, has been left out in favour of Nitish Kumar Reddy.

India will play two T20Is in Belfast on June 26 and 28, then travel to England for five T20Is starting July 1 in Chester-le-Street, with the final on July 11 in Southampton.