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Suryakumar Yadav may have led India to Asia Cup glory in 2025 and the historic T20 World Cup 2026 title earlier this year, but his future as the T20 captain is now facing serious questions. Reports suggest that the BCCI is thinking about making Shreyas Iyer or Hardik Pandya the new captain.
Even after winning the T20 World Cup, the selectors are reportedly not happy with Suryakumar Yadav, especially because of his lean patch that has been running since last year. Suryakumar has struggled badly in the ongoing IPL 2026 season.
The explosive Mumbai Indians batter has managed only 195 runs in 10 innings with an average of just 19.50. The 35-year-old’s poor form has become a major concern because he is India’s T20I captain, and then his age is also not working in his favor.
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Now, Indian selectors are reportedly thinking about building a younger team for the future, and they are looking at Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, and Shreyas Iyer as the options for the T20I captaincy. However, there are three crucial factors that suggest that the BCCI should not bet on Pandya.
Hardik Pandya's recurring injury concerns
Hardik Pandya’s career has been heavily affected by repeated injuries, especially to his lower back and ankles. Over the years, fitness issues have forced the Indian all-rounder to miss many important matches and big tournaments.
Even in the ongoing IPL 2026, the Mumbai Indians captain is currently dealing with a back spasm issue. His role as a fast-bowling all-rounder and his bowling action continue to put extra pressure on his back and ankles, which often leads to sudden injury problems.
Because of these recurring fitness concerns, Hardik Pandya now focuses only on white-ball cricket, and even when Suryakumar Yadav was made India’s T20 captain, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had also said that Hardik’s injury record makes it difficult for the selectors to plan long-term leadership around him.
Poor leadership consistency
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy journey has been mixed. He led the Gujarat Titans to IPL glory in 2022 and then to the finals in the 2023 season. But after replacing Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians, he faced a tough time as the team finished at the bottom of the table.
At that time, Hardik’s unclear tactics under pressure and confusing bowling strategy were blamed for the horror. Even though MI reached the playoffs in 2025, the ongoing IPL 2026 season has again been disappointing, with the team struggling near the bottom.
There are also reports that he failed to build strong team unity and bring calmness into the MI dressing room, and some even claimed that many seniors don’t like him. However, Hardik’s overall captaincy record is not that bad.
For India, Hardik Pandya has won 19 out of 30 matches with a win rate of 63.33% in T20Is. He also led India to 4 wins from 6 matches with a win percentage of 66.67% in ODIs.
In the IPL, his captaincy shows two very different phases. At Gujarat Titans, he had a strong win percentage of 70.97%, but it dropped to 40.54% while leading the Mumbai Indians in the league. This raised questions about his consistency and long-term leadership stability.
Better captaincy options available
There are some stronger and proven options than Hardik Pandya available if Suryakumar Yadav gets sacked. Among them, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson are the top candidates. Iyer is one of the successful IPL captains, leading three franchises to finals and winning the 2024 title with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Iyer also led Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final and Punjab Kings to the 2025 runners-up. He has a high win percentage, around 59%. The right-handed batter also has the experience of leading India A and Mumbai in domestic cricket. The current PBKS captain is being hailed for his calm captaincy.
Iyer's exceptional ability to read conditions, understanding of the game, composure, tactical maturity, and maintaining the unity in the team make him a frontrunner to become India's next T20I captain.
Sanju Samson is another great option. The current CSK wicketkeeper-batter was the Rajasthan Royals’ most successful captain. He is known for his calm, MS Dhoni-like leadership. He stays composed under pressure, trusts instincts, and leads with an elder brother approach.
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