While Punjab Kings did not win the IPL 2025 trophy, Shreyas Iyer emerged as the standout captain of the season. The stylish right-handed batter went from lifting the trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders last year—only to be released ahead of this season—to scripting a remarkable turnaround with a struggling franchise and guiding them to the final of the cash-rich league.
Before this year’s IPL, Iyer wasn’t even part of the BCCI’s central contract list. But now, the batter is being viewed as a serious contender for India’s white-ball captaincy. Currently, India’s ODI team is led by Rohit Sharma, the T20I side by Suryakumar Yadav, and the Test team by Shubman Gill.
However, the three-captain formula is unlikely to last in the long term. With Rohit Sharma expected to retire from ODIs in the near future, India may look to appoint a consolidated white-ball captain. Given that Suryakumar Yadav has failed to cement a place in the ODI squad, it appears unlikely that he will lead in both limited-overs formats.
Shreyas Iyer as India’s next white ball captain?
Iyer has been a consistent performer in the Indian ODI setup. Although he wasn’t included in last year’s World Cup-winning squad, a return to the T20I side now seems inevitable.
According to a report by The Indian Express, citing a BCCI source, Iyer has officially entered the fray for the white-ball captaincy and it may soon be difficult to leave him out of the Test squad as well.
“Right now he just plays ODIs but after this IPL we can’t keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests. Plus he also has now officially joined the white-ball captaincy race,” the report quoted BCCI source as saying.
Notably, Iyer was recently overlooked by selectors while naming the 18-member squad for the England Test series. However, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar stated that if Iyer continues to perform in domestic cricket, there could be a place for him in the Test setup.
