Sanju Samson, Not Shreyas Iyer, Frontrunner to Become India’s Next T20 Captain: REPORT

India’s Next T20 Captain: Sanju Samson is ahead in the race to become India’s next T20 captain as per a report in Jagran. Earlier it was believed that Shreyas Iyer was the frontrunner, but that does not seem to be the case. Samson played a pivotal role in India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph. He hit an unbeaten 97* against West Indies in a virtual quarter-final, before notching up 89* against England and New Zealand in the semi and then the final respectively. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament for his incredible batsmanship in the knockout phase of the event. 

It is understood as per well-placed sources that Samson could be handed the captaincy for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England after the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. A big reason behind the change of captaincy is understood to be Suryakumar Yadav’s lack of form with the bat. In 2026, all Suryakumar managed to score was 195 runs in 10 matches at an average of 19.52. The problem is that, as Suryakumar is the captain, there are many players waiting to get picked were being denied the chance. 

Samson will be no stranger to the role of leadership as he has led sides in the IPL in the past. 

It is understood that Iyer has missed out despite being in to-form with the bat in T20s is because of his absence from the national T20 side since 2023. That seems to have worked against him. The report claims that selectors want Iyer to cement his place in the side first.