Suryakumar Yadav’s place in India’s T20I squad is under the scanner following a continued run of poor performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup, which carried forward to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). This is despite the right-handed batter leading the Men in Blue to their second consecutive 20-over title earlier this year. 

Not only is Suryakumar’s captaincy under threat, but also his place in the team ahead of India’s white-ball tours to Ireland and England in the coming months. According to the Hindu, the selection committee is set to meet in Guwahati on May 19 to pick the Test squad for the solitary Test against Afghanistan, where they will informally discuss the future of the T20I setup. 

According to reports, the BCCI hierarchy wanted to continue with the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning team for their tour to the British Isles. However, with Suryakumar’s form showing no signs of improvement, they might have to commence the transition sooner than expected. 

Suryakumar went on to score 242 runs from nine matches at a strike-rate of 136.72, which is a lot less based on his lofty standards. The batter hit only one half-century during the title-winning campaign, which came against the United States. 

Suryakumar will be turning 36 in a few months, and it is therefore difficult to see him as part of the long-term roadmap leading to the next T20 World Cup, in 2028 in Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately for India, no obvious candidate is waiting in the wings to not only take over Suryakumar as the team’s captain but also replace him in the middle order. Recent reports have linked Sanju Samson and the Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer to take the hot seat in the T20I setup. 

The current captain has also had an underwhelming 2026 IPL campaign. Representing the Mumbai Indians, the 35-year-old has scored 195 runs from 11 matches at a strike-rate of 144.44, whilst averaging less than 18.