Shreyas Iyer has been recalled to India’s T20I setup and appointed captain for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, marking a significant reshuffle in the national side. Iyer replaces Suryakumar Yadav, who has been dropped from the squad despite leading India to the T20 World Cup title earlier this year. Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain.
One of the biggest talking points of the squad announcement is the maiden call-up for teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi following his outstanding IPL 2026 campaign. Fast bowler Prince Yadav has also earned his first T20I selection after previously being included in the ODI squad for the Afghanistan series.
Iyer’s return comes after an impressive run in domestic cricket and the IPL, where he excelled both as a batter and captain. The right-hander last played a T20I for India in December 2023 and was overlooked for the T20 World Cup squad despite being part of the home series against New Zealand earlier this year.
India have also retained Mohammed Siraj, who impressed after being drafted into the T20 World Cup squad as a late replacement for Harshit Rana. Rana, who recovered from a knee injury sustained during a World Cup warm-up match, has also been included. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi returns to the squad, while Kuldeep Yadav has been left out. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the tour, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya has not been selected after struggling with a back spasm during IPL 2026.
India’s T20I squad for the Ireland and England tours: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana and Ravi Bishnoi.
India will begin the tour with two T20Is against Ireland on June 26 and June 28 before taking on England in a five-match T20I series starting July 1.