Shreyas Iyer, who is India’s ODI vice-captain, will remain out of the action after sustaining an injury while fielding in the third ODI against Australia in Sydney last month. The right-handed batter is expected to miss the ODI series against South Africa starting November 30 in Ranchi, and reports indicate he could be unavailable for at least another three months.

As per a report by Dainik Jagran, Iyer may not return to competitive cricket until IPL 2026. He is expected to miss the South Africa ODIs (Nov–Dec 2025), the New Zealand series in January 2026, the T20 World Cup in February–March, and possibly the initial phase of IPL 2026.

Iyer, who sustained a serious injury in the third ODI against Australia and was subsequently hospitalised in Sydney, has now returned to Mumbai, where he is undergoing a structured rehabilitation program.

According to the Dainik Jagran report, Iyer recently underwent an ultrasonography scan, which was reviewed by Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala. The results showed signs of recovery, but he has been instructed to avoid any activity that could strain his abdominal area. At this stage, he is prohibited from performing exercises..

He is scheduled to undergo another USG test in a few months, after which a decision will be made regarding his return to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to resume the next phase of his rehabilitation.

There is a genuine chance that he could return to international cricket during India’s white-ball series against Afghanistan in June 2026.

Iyer is one of the core players in India’s ODI lineup. He amassed more than 500 runs at No. 4 during the 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, and he emerged as India’s leading run-scorer in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

In the IPL, Iyer plays for the Punjab Kings. The franchise picked him up for Rs 26.75 crore in the 2025 mega auction and handed him the captaincy. In his debut season with PBKS, he scored over 600 runs and guided the team to the IPL final.