Who's next after Surya? IPL 2026 should be an audition for next T20I captain

NEW DELHI: With back-to-back T20 World Cup titles successful the bag, India person emerged arsenic a powerhouse successful cricket's shortest format. The endowment waiting successful the wings is besides immense. In 2 years, the Indian cricket team volition beryllium gearing up for 2 large events, the LA Olympics and the 2028 T20 World Cup.And erstwhile it comes to picking the 15-member squad, determination is nary rocket subject successful selecting a broadside mostly based connected form. The top illustration of that attack is Ishan Kishan. Since making his comeback aft a two-year hiatus, the southpaw has acceptable the signifier connected fire.

He was picked successful the Indian squad aft scoring a period successful the last of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and guiding Jharkhand to the title. In 13 games since his return, the 27-year-old has amassed 532 runs astatine a onslaught complaint of 207.

His 317 runs successful the precocious concluded T20 World Cup was the third-highest aft Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan and teammate Sanju Samson.But the existent question is who volition regenerate an ageing Suryakumar Yadav arsenic India's adjacent T20I skipper. The reply could travel from the 2026 Indian Premier League (

IPL

) - conscionable arsenic it did with caput manager Gautam Gambhir's palmy stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).The IPL is the world's champion T20 league. Unlike the T20 World Cup, it is an adjacent level and each 10 teams are arsenic strong.

So the selectors volition person to support their eyes unfastened to spot who tin pb India due to the fact that picking a T20I squad with the magnitude of endowment disposable is simply a nary brainer, but choosing the close skipper volition not beryllium easy.Who are the contenders?

Out of the 10 IPL teams, 8 franchises person appointed Indian players arsenic their captains. KKR are yet to denote their adjacent captain, whereas Pat Cummins volition pb Sunrisers Hyderabad.Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has not been successful the nationalist team's strategy of things since helium led India to the 2023 Asian Games golden medal successful Hangzhou.Reigning champions RCB's skipper Rajat Patidar is yet to marque his planetary debut successful the T20I format.Mumbai Indians' skipper

Hardik Pandya

, who was tipped to instrumentality implicit from Rohit Sharma aft the 2024 World Cup triumph, was not fixed the captaincy armband due to the fact that of fittingness issues. But travel IPL 2026, helium volition beryllium captaining India's existent T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav.Axar Patel, 32, has ever been the proverbial bridesmaid successful Indian cricket.

He was archetypal appointed vice-captain aft the 2024 T20 World Cup, past replaced by Shubman Gill, and was again anointed arsenic lawman to Surya earlier the 2026 World Cup. Axar tin beryllium a bully enactment but for that Delhi Capitals volition person to triumph the trophy.

Riyan Parag, 24, led Rajasthan successful the lack of Sanju Samson during IPL 2025. But the youngster volition archetypal person to cement his spot successful the nationalist team. There is nary uncertainty that his quality to vessel could marque him a imperishable look successful the Indian squad successful the adjacent cycle.

His sanction besides came up for enactment erstwhile Washington Sundar got injured.28-year-old Rishabh Pant, too, volition beryllium looking to reinvent his T20I form, some with the bat and arsenic skipper for Lucknow Super Giants. The southpaw has fallen disconnected the radar and with Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan successful apical form, Pant mightiness person to hold for his accidental successful this format.Then determination are Gujarat Titans' Shubman Gill and Punjab Kings'

Shreyas Iyer

. Both person shown a pedigree of leadership. Gill is the existent skipper of India's ODI and Test sides, whereas Iyer led KKR to the IPL rubric successful 2024 and Punjab Kings to the last successful IPL 2025.

Shubman was tipped arsenic the adjacent poster lad of Indian cricket and a successor to Suryakumar Yadav. But helium was amazingly dropped from India's T20 World Cup squad citing squad combination. Shreyas travelled with the squad during the New Zealand bid that preceded the T20 World Cup arsenic screen for injured Tilak Varma, but helium did not get the accidental to play. In an perfect world, Shreyas would beryllium the close antheral to pb India astatine the LA Olympics and the T20 World Cup.Sanju Samson is different enactment the selectors indispensable consider. The 2026 T20 World Cup champion has led Rajasthan Royals successful the IPL and is presently oozing assurance aft his Player of the Tournament performance.The IPL has agelong been India's biggest laboratory for T20 cricket. Just arsenic Gambhir's IPL occurrence opened the doorway to the nationalist coaching job, IPL 2026 could softly signifier India's adjacent T20I captain. In a tourney wherever pressure, tactics and enactment are tested each night, the selectors mightiness conscionable find the antheral who volition pb India into the adjacent cycle.