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Suryakumar Yadav: Relinquished from captaincy…even dismissed from the team? Why did this happen to Suryakumar Yadav, who won the World Cup?

Samira Vishwas | June 6, 2026 7:24 PM CST

A big and shocking decision came in Indian cricket. Suryakumar Yadav, who won the T20 World Cup 2026, was not only removed from the captaincy but was also dropped from the T20 team. In his place, the selectors made Shreyas Iyer the new T20 captain. Suryakumar’s poor form and long-term planning of the team management are being considered as the biggest reasons behind this decision.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, while announcing the team for the tour of England and Ireland on Saturday, made it clear that despite winning the World Cup, the selection committee had to take the decision keeping in mind the future strategy. He said that after every World Cup, the direction of the team and the needs of the next cycle are assessed. The selectors felt that considering the next 2 years and the next T20 World Cup, Shreyas Iyer was a better option.

Surya’s captaincy did not survive even after winning the World Cup
Suryakumar Yadav is only the third captain of India to win the T20 World Cup. Before him, this achievement was in the names of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. His record as captain was excellent and India won many bilateral series under his leadership, but his continuously declining form in batting went against him. Under the captaincy of Surya, India won more than 80 percent of the matches.

Agarkar admitted that removing a World Cup-winning captain was not an easy decision, but it was necessary to take this step considering both the future of the team and the current form of the player.

Why bet on Shreyas Iyer?
Shreyas Iyer has been one of the most successful captains of IPL in the last few years. He made Kolkata Knight Riders champion in 2024. After this, Punjab Kings also got a new identity. In IPL 2026, the Punjab team remained undefeated for the first seven matches under his leadership. Although the team could not make it to the playoffs, falling behind by just 1 point. He also took Delhi Capitals to the finals.

Apart from captaincy, Iyer’s personal performance also remained consistently good. This was the reason why the selectors decided to make him the future captain. Agarkar said that Shreyas was very close to making it to the team of the last T20 World Cup, but due to the team combination at that time, he did not get a chance.

Preparing for a new beginning
The Indian team has now started preparing for the next T20 World Cup and the selectors want to move ahead with a new group. In such a situation, Shreyas Iyer will have the challenge of taking the team to a new era while Suryakumar Yadav will have to regain his form and return to the team.